Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2011  with  funding  from 

Boston  Library  Consortium  IVIember  Libraries 


http://www.archive.org/details/oldshippingdaysi018stat 


fr 


Old    Shipping   Days 
in   Bostonj 


Printed  for  the 

State   Street  Trust   Company 

Boston,    Mass. 

1918 


-¥' 


w^ 


^.<f 


Copyright,  1918, 

BY   THE 

State  Street  Trust  Company 


■^7 


^0/V^ 


Compiled,  arranged  and  printed  by  direction  oj 

Walton  Advertising  \S  Printing  Co. 

Boston,  Mass. 


FOREWORD 


THE  revival  in  American  shipping  and  the  consequent  interest 
in  maritime  affairs  have  recalled  to  many  merchants  and  to 
those  whose  ancestors  were  seafaring  men,  the  stories  of  the 
bygone  days  when  the  American  clipper  ship  was  queen  of 
the  seas.  This  increasing  interest  in  shipping  is  due  to  a  certain 
extent  to  the  present  war,  which  has  produced  so  many  daring  mari- 
time exploits  that  when  the  stories  come  to  be  told  they  will  equal 
the  most  thrilling  adventures  of  the  sailing-ship  days. 

Realizing  the  extent  of  this  interest  in  the  shipping  of  to-day,  the 
State  Street  Trust  Company  has  compiled  its  thirteenth  annual 
pamphlet  entitled  "Old  Shipping  Days  in  Boston,"  within  the  covers 
of  which  may  be  found  some  interesting  stories  and  reminiscences  of 
the  days  of  the  clippers,  when  the  captain  was  a  merchant  and  trader 
as  well  as  a  bold  and  fearless  navigator,  and  when  the  crews  were 
largely  "Down-Easters,"  hailing  from  Bath,  Portland,  Portsmouth, 
Gloucester,  Marblehead,  Salem,  Newburyport,  Boston,  or  the  Cape 
or  Sound  ports. 

Much  of  the  material  has  been  collected  from  diaries,  letters,  and 
information  procured  through  the  kindness  of  many  persons  whose 
families  were  connected  with  the  early  shipping  of  Boston;  and  the 
Trust  Company  is  deeply  indebted  to  these  persons  who  have  so 
kindly  placed  their  knowledge  at  the  compiler's  disposal:  Captain 
Arthur  H.  Clark,  the  officers  of  the  Boston  Public  Library  and  of 
the  Bostonian  Society,  Llewellyn  Rowland,  Mrs.  F.  C.  Shattuck, 
Dr.  F.  C.  Shattuck,  Mrs.  D.  A.  de  Menocal,  D.  A.  de  Menocal,  Mrs. 
Augustin  H.  Parker,  Samuel  Cabot,  Harris  Livermore,  G.  Peabody 
Gardner,  Jr.,  Lester  H.  Monks,  Mrs.  William  Hooper,  Mr.  Martin 
of  the  Widener  Library  (Harvard  College),  Mrs.  F.  S.  Converse, 
F.  S.  Converse,  Samuel  Russell,  Horace  S.  Crowell,  William  G.  Wheil- 
don,  William  C.  Endicott,  R.  Elmer  Townsend,  Francis  R.  Allen, 
Captain  N.  B.  Washburn,  Dr.  F.  S.  Watson,  Captain  Frederic  Hinck- 
ley, Mrs.  Charles  E.  Perkins,  various  members  of  the  Dabney  family, 
J.  Murray  Forbes,  Charles  H.  Taylor,  Jr.,  E.  B.  Drew,  John  H. 
Sturgis,  Lawrence  W.  Jenkins,  John  S.  Curtis. 

Should  any  names  have  been  overlooked,  it  is  due  either  to  the 
very  large  volume  of  correspondence  received  on  the  subject  or  to 
the  fact  that  it  has  been  found  necessary  to  divide  the  pamphlet  into 
two  parts,  the  second  half  to  appear  at  some  future  date.  Should 
any  readers  have  pictures  of  Boston  ships  or  any  history  or  anecdotes 
connected  with  the  old  shipping  days,  the  Trust  Company  would 
like  very  much  to  hear  from  them,  as  it  could  probably  make  use  of 
such  material  in  the  forthcoming  issue. 


FOREWORD 


The  following  books,  pamphlets,  and  periodicals  have  been   con- 
sulted: 

Annals  of  the  Dabney  Family,  Roxana  Lewis  Dabney. 

History  of  the  Town  of  Medford,  Charles  Brooks. 

Memorial  History  of  Boston,  J.  D.  Winsor. 

Wrecked  on  a  Reef  on  the  China  Sea,  Frederic  Hinckley. 

Landmarks  and  Historic  Personages  of  Boston,  Samuel  A.  Drake. 

Remarks  on  the  Voyage  to  Island  of  Guam,  L.  W.  Jenkins. 

Deacon  Tudor's  Diary,  William  Tudor. 

Scribner's  Magazine. 

Boston  Globe. 

Old  Boston  Days  and  Ways,  Mary  Caroline  Crawford. 

Journals  of  Major  Samuel  Shaw,  Josiah  Quincy. 

Narrative  of  Voyages  and  Travels,  Amasa  Delano. 

Memorial  of  Thomas  Handasyd  Perkins,  Thomas  G.  Carey. 

History  of  Merchant  Shipping,  W.  S.  Lindsay. 

Early  Shipbuilding  in  Massachusetts,  Captain  George  Preble,  U.S.N. 

Life  of  Father  Taylor,  Boston  Port  and  Seamen's  Aid  Society. 

Economic  and  Social  History  of  New  England,  William  B.  Weeden. 

The  Clipper  Ship  Era,  Arthur  H.  Clark. 

Boston — The  Place  and  the  People,  A.  DeWolfe  Howe. 

The  American  Merchant  Marine,  Winthrop  S.  Marvin. 

The  China  Clippers,  Basil  Lubbock. 

Bits  of  Old  China,  William  C.  Hunter. 

Ships  and  Sailors  of  Old  Salem,  Ralph  D.  Paine. 

The  Story  of  the  American  Merchant  Marine,  John  R.  Spears. 

Personal  Reminiscences,  Notes  on  Navigation,  Ships  of  the  Past,  China  and  the  China 

Trade,  Robert  Bennet  Forbes. 
Shipbuilding  on  the  Merrimac  River,  John  J.  Currier. 
Bostonian  Society  Publications. 
Massachusetts  Historical  Society  Proceedings. 
New  England  Magazine. 
Columbian  Centinel. 
Essex  Institute  Historical  Collections. 


TABLE    OF    CONTENTS 

PAGE, 

Shipping  in  the  Early  Days .  i 

Thatcher  JXIagoun  and  the  Mystic  River 4 

A  Few  Anecdotes  of  the  Clipper  Ship  Days     .........  6 

Launching  of  the  First  Schooner :    .    .  9 

Samuel  Shaw,  Pioneer  of  the  China  Trade 9 

Perkins  &  Co -. 12 

Russell  &  Co 16 

The  Life  of  the  Foreign  Merchant  in  China 18 

Houqua 23 

Father  Taylor  and  his  Seamen's  Bethel 25 

The  First  American  Ship  to  sail  to  Japan    . 30 

A  Boston  Ship,  the  First  to  navigate  the  Globe  and  to  visit  the 

Northwest  Coast 33 

Frederic  Tudor,  Pioneer  of  the  Ice  Trade 34 

Ships  that  plied  between  Boston  and  Fayal 37 

The  Wreck  of  the  "Living  Age"  in  the  China  Sea 41 

Two  Celebrated  Launchings 45 


Old  Shipping  Days 
in  Boston 


"THE  MERCHANTMEN" 

Beyond  all  outer  charting 
We  sailed  where  none  have  sailed, 
And  saw  the  land-lights  burning 
On  islands  none  have  hailed; 
Our  hair  stood  up  for  wonder, 
But  when  the  night  was  done, 
There  dawned  the  deep  to  windward 
Blue — empty  'neath  the  sun. 

Rudyard  Kipling. 

SHIPPING   IN  THE   EARLY   DAYS 

^^2^HE  earliest  settlers  of  New  England  built  their  huts 
near  the  ocean,  first  of  all,  so  as  to  be  able  to  use 
the  sea  as  a  source  of  food,  and  secondly  to  pro- 
vide for  themselves  a  convenient  place  of  refuge  in 
case  of  attacks  from  the  savages.  In  fact  all  things 
to  do  with  the  sea  dominated  their  thoughts.  It 
is  not  strange  therefore  that  our  colonists  became 
both  ship  builders  and  sailors,  and  although  Yankee 
privateers,  Yankee  packets,  and  Yankee  clippers  no  longer  plough  the 
seas  of  the  world,  nevertheless  their  fame  and  the  romance  that  went 
with  them  will  endure  forever.  We  also  owe  to  these  early  sailors 
the  development  of  a  seafaring  race, — men  who  during  our  wars 
became  experts  in  manning  our  ships. 

The  first  vessel  built  near  Boston  was  the  "Blessing  of  the  Bay." 
Governor  Winthrop,  who  is  often  spoken  of  as  the  father  of  our 
American  Merchant  Marine,  twelve  months  after  his  own  landing, 
and  before  Boston  was  one  year  old,  built  on  the  Mystic  River  at 
Ten  Hills  Farm  in  Medford,  this  little  bark  of  thirty  tons,  which  was 
the  first  vessel  constructed  in  Massachusetts.  He  gave  as  the  reason 
for  building  that  "the  general  fear  of  foreign  commodities,  now  our 


OLD   SHIPPING   DAYS   IN   BOSTON 

money  was  gone  and  things  were  like  to  go  well  in  England,  set  us 
on  work  to  provide  shipping  of  our  own."  The  "Blessing  of  the  Bay" 
was  launched,  curiously  enough,  on  the  4th  of  July,  163 1.  She  was 
half  trader  and  half  fighter,  and  for  this  reason  has  been  usually  re- 
ferred to  as  the  first  American  vessel  of  war,  and  the  ways  upon  which 
she  stood  so  long  are  called  the  cradle  of  American  shipbuilding.  In 
August  of  the  same  year  she  was  ready  for  service.  A  solemn  little 
band  gathered  on  the  shores  of  the  river,  near  Governor  Winthrop's 
home,  and  prayed  for  the  safe  return  of  the  colony  trained  crew,  which 
was  bound  on  the  first  trading  voyage  of  a  New  England  vessel  to 
the  Dutch  on  Long  Island.  Her  sailing  marked  the  beginning  of 
commerce  with  the  outside  world  and  furnished  also  proof  that  our 
New  England  forests  could  furnish  sufficient  material  for  shipbuild- 
ing, which  industry  increased  so  rapidly  that  New  England  was  soon 
able  to  say,  "My  spars  of  New  England  pine  have  been  sent  to  every 
shipbuilding  nation  in  Europe."  England  soon  realized  the  value 
of  our  tall  pine  trees  and  in  the  first  patents  granted,  reserved  the  right 
to  send  a  royal  surveyor  into  the  woods  to  mark  with  an  arrow  sign 
our  forest  trees  to  be  used  by  her  navy.  There  is  a  note  of  this  maiden 
voyage  in  Winthrop's  journal,  which  mentions  that  "among  the  curi- 
ous things  noticed  by  the  sailors  on  their  voyage  were  Indian  canoes 
at  Long  Island,  capable  of  carrying  eighty  men."  The  "Blessing  of 
the  Bay"  is  recorded  as  having  been  a  successful  vessel.  Her  cost 
was  £165. 

The  first  ship  built  in  Boston  was  the  "Trial,"  which  was  launched 
in  1641,  in  the  North  End.  The  inhabitants  of  Boston  were  stirred 
by  the  example  of  Hugh  Peters  of  Salem,  and  as  Governor  Winthrop 
expressed  it,  "set  upon  building  of  another  at  Boston  of  one  hundred 
and  fifty  tons."  Constructed  by  Captain  Nehemiah  Bourne,  her  first 
voyage  was  to  the  Azores  and  West  Indies  under  the  command  of 
Thomas  Coitmore.  Winthrop  says  in  his  journal  of  January  23,  1643, 
that  the  "Trial"  had  arrived  in  Boston,  laden  with  wine,  fruit,  oil, 
linen,  and  wool,  which  "was  a  great  advantage  to  the  country,  and 
gave  encouragement  to  trade."  "The  work  was  hard  to  accomplish," 
continues  Winthrop,  "for  want  of  money  &c.,  but  our  shipwrights 
were  content  to  take  such  pay  as  the  country  could  make."  For 
more  than  two  centuries  after  this,  Massachusetts  every  year  sent  out 
a  vast  fleet  of  wooden  ships,  and  probably  the  reason  the  colony  main- 
tained its  position  in  the  maritime  world  was  owing  to  the  care  that 
was  taken  in  the  output.  As  early  as  1641  this  provision  was  made: 
"Whereas,  the  country  is  now  in  hand  with  the  building  of  ships,  which 
is  a  business  of  great  importance  for  the  common  good,  and  there- 
fore suitable  care  is  to  be  taken  that  it  is  well  performed,  according  to 
the  commendable  course  of  England  and  other  places:  it  is  therefore 
ordered  that  when  any  ship  is  to  be  built  within  this  jurisdiction  it 
shall  be  lawful  for  the  owner  to  appoint  and  put  in  some  able  men 
to  survey  the  work  and  workmen  from  time  to  time  as  is  usual  in 
England,  and  the  same  so  appointed  shall  have  such  liberty  and  power 
as  belongs  to  his  office." 


OLD   SHIPPING   DAYS   IN   BOSTON 


In  spite  of  the  Indians,  piracy,  and  the  regulations  placed  on  the 
colony  by  England,  shipbuilding  in  and  near  Boston  increased  steadily. 
In  the  year  1676,  Governor  Hutchinson  stated  that  there  were  thirty 
vessels  of  between  one  hundred  and  two  hundred  tons  in  size,  two 
hundred  between  fifty  and  one  hundred  tons,  and  five  hundred  smaller 
ships  in  the  vicinity  of  Boston.  Towards  the  end  of  the  century 
Boston  claimed  almost  two  hundred  seagoing  vessels  to  New  York's 
one  hundred  and  twenty-four,  and  it  is  probable  that  New  Yorkers 
grew  very  tired   of  this   ditty  that  was   heard   everywhere: — 

"Wide-awake  Down-Easters, 
No-mistake  Down-Easters,  ^_ 

Old  Massachusetts  will  carry  the  day." 

Boston  increased  so  rapidly  as  a  shipping  centre  as  to  bring  forth  from 
Bellomont,  the  Colonial  Governor,  the  remark,  "I  may  venture  to 
say  that  there  are  more  good  vessels  belonging  to  the  town  of  Boston 
than  all  Scotland  and  Ireland,  unless  one  should  reckon  the  small 
craft  such  as  herring  boats."  It  is  recorded  that  from  Christmas 
1747  to  Christmas  1748,  five  hundred  and  forty  vessels  cleared  from, 
and  four  hundred  and  thirty  entered,  the  port  of  Boston,  not  count- 
ing coasting  and  fishing  vessels.  In  the  year  1770  it  is  figured  that 
Massachusetts  built  one-half  of  all  the  ships  constructed  in  America. 
It  may  also  be  of  interest  to  note  that  on  one  day,  October  27,  in  the 
year  1791,  seventy  vessels  sailed  from  Boston  for  different  parts  of 
the  world.  A  sketch  in  the  Massachusetts  Historical  Society  col- 
lections at  about  this  time  reads:  "There  are  80  wharves  and  quays, 
chiefly  on  the  E.  side  of  the  town.  Of  these  the  most  distinguished 
is  Boston  pier,  on  the  Long  Wharf,  which  extends  from  the  bottom  of 
State  Street  1743  ft.  into  the  harbour.  Here  the  principal  naviga- 
tion of  the  town  is  carried  on;  vessels  of  all  burdens  load  and  unload; 
and  the  London  ships  generally  discharge  their  cargoes.  .  .  .  The  har- 
bour of  Boston  is  at  this  date  crowded  with  vessels.  It  is  reckoned 
that  not  less  than  450  sail  of  ships,  brigs,  schooners,  sloops,  and  smaller 
craft  are  now  in  this  port." 

In  1789  our  Government  protected  its  Merchant  Marine  so  satis- 
factorily that  the  shipping  rose  from  123,893  tons  in  1789  to  411,  438 
tons  in  1792,  and  continued  to  increase  for  a  number  of  years.  The 
years  between  1789  and  1828  have  always  been  considered  the  golden 
age  of  American  sea-borne  commerce,  although  there  was  a  greater 
tonnage  in  the  days  of  the  clipper  ships. 

It  only  requires  a  little  imagination  to  go  back  to  the  early  days  when 
most  of  the  farmhouses  were  near  the  sea  and  in  front  of  each  usually 
could  be  seen  riding  at  anchor  a  trim  little  vessel,  in  which  the  owner 
went  fishing  during  the  week  and  in  which  the  whole  family  went  to 
church  when  Sunday  came  round.  These  sturdy  New  Englanders 
have  often  been  referred  to  with  much  truth  as  half  farmer  and  half 
sailor. 


OLD   SHIPPING   DAYS   IN   BOSTON 

THATCHER  MAGOUN  AND  THE   MYSTIC  RIVER 

One  of  the  most  celebrated  shipbuilding  towns  near  Boston  was 
Medford  on  the  Mystic  River. 

Thatcher  Magoun,  destined  to  be  the  father  of  a  great  fleet  of 
ships  that  sailed  out  of  Medford,  chanced  to  stroll  on  a  pleasant  day 
up  Winter  Hill,  and  from  a  mound  of  earth  that  had  been  thrown  up 
by  the  patriot  soldiers  he  looked  off  over  the  river  Mystic. 

"What  a  fine  place  to  build  ships!"  thought  he,  as  he  watched  the 
full  tide  sweeping  in.  A  score  of  questions  came  to  his  mind.  How 
deep  was  the  water  at  high  tide.''  Were  there  any  rocks  or  shoals 
in  the  stream.?  Could  timber  be  had  in  the  neighborhood,  and  could 
land  be  purchased  at  a  reasonable  price.? 

He  saw  a  two-masted  schooner  at  one  of  the  distillery  wharves 
nearby,  and  set  out  towards  her. 

"How  much  water  do  you  draw.?"  he  asked. 

"Ten  feet." 

"What's  your  tonnage.?" 

"One  hundred  and  twenty  tons." 

"Do  you  go  up  and  down  the  river  often.?" 

"Yes.     I  bring  wood  for  this  distillery." 

"Are  there  any  large  rocks  or  bad  shoals  in  the  bed  of  the 
river.?" 

"No.     It's  all  clear." 

"How  deep  is  the  water  generally  at  high  tide.?" 

"About  fifteen  or  twenty  feet." 

"Do  you  think  that  an  empty  ship  of  three  hundred  tons  could  float 
down  the  river.?" 

"Oh,  yes." 

"I'll  make  the  trial,"  probably  thought  Thatcher  Magoun,  and  he 
did. 

Timber  was  bought  in  the  surrounding  towns,  and  the  first  that 
Mr.  Magoun  procured  was  from  what  is  now  Winchester,  at  the  rate 
of  $6  a  ton,  cut  and  delivered.  "Thus  1802  saw  laid  the  first  keel  of 
that  fleet  of  merchant  ships  whose  sails  have  shaded  every  sea  and 
bay  on  the  navigable  globe." 

Thatcher  Magoun  served  an  apprenticeship  with  Enos  Briggs  in 
Salem,  with  whom  he  remained  five  years.  Later  he  went  to  Mr. 
Baker's  shipyard  in  Charlestown,  which  was  then  located  where  the 
Navy  Yard  is  now.  There  he  studied  modelling  for  two  years,  and 
made  the  model  of  the  first  vessel  he  built — the  "Mt.  Etna,"  one 
hundred  and  eighty-seven  tons.  Other  merchant  vessels  were  built 
in  his  yard  at  Medford,  also  several  privateers  for  the  War  of  18 12, 
his  most  famous  one,  the  "Avon,"  being  launched  twenty-six  days 
after  her  keel  was  laid. 

The  "Amethyst,"  "Emerald,"  "Sapphire,"  and  "Topaz,"  of  about 
three  hundred  and  fifty  tons,  were  built  by  Magoun  in  1822  for  the 
Boston  and  Liverpool  Packet  Company  which  for  a  few  years  ran  be- 
tween Boston,   Charleston,  S.C.,  and  Liverpool,  and  back  direct  to 


OLD   SHIPPING   DAYS   IN   BOSTON 


From  an  old  print 

THE  "MASSACHUSETTS,"  THE  FIRST  AUXILIARY  STEAM  PACKET  TO  CROSS 

THE  ATLANTIC 

She  was  built  by  some  enterprising  Boston  merchants. 


Boston.  Six  years  after  this  venture  another  Liverpool  line  was  started 
to  Boston,  and  for  this  Magoun  built  the  "Boston,"  "Lowell,"  "Liv- 
erpool," "Plymouth,"  and  "Trenton."  Between  the  years  1822  and 
1829,  he  built  the  "Lucilla,"  owned  by  Daniel  P.  Parker;  the  "Brook- 
line,"  the  "Courser,"  owned  by  Henry  Oxnard;  and  the  "Margaret 
Forbes,"  owned  by  Bryant  and  Sturgis.  All  of  these  ships  sailed  out 
of  Boston. 

Thatcher  Magoun  was  considered  the  father  of  shipbuilding  on  the 
Mystic,  his  yard  alone  turning  out  one  hundred  and  seventy-five 
vessels. 

In  connection  with  shipbuilding  near  Boston  it  may  be  interesting 
to  mention  an  incident  concerning  the  town  of  Rowley.  The  largest 
vessel  ever  built  there  was  made  on  the  Common,  under  the  direction 
of  Nathaniel  Perley,  and  from  this  spot  the  ship,  when  completed, 
was  drawn  by  a  hundred  oxen  more  than  a  mile  and  a  half  to  the  river. 
She  was  called  the  "County's  Wonder."  Other  shipbuilding  centres 
near  Boston  were  Charlestown,  Scituate,  Ipswich,  Essex,  Gloucester, 
Plymouth,  Salem,  Lynn,  New  Bedford,  Danvers,  and  Newburyport. 
A  number  of  vessels,  including  one  called  the  "Milton,"  were  built 
in  Milton  on  the  Neponset  River  at  the  foot  of  Milton  Hill.  The 
"Milton"  finally  became  a  New  Bedford  whaler. 


OLD   SHIPPING   DAYS   IN   BOSTON 


From  a  print  Collection  of  the  State  Street  Trust  Co. 

THE   CLIPPER   SHIP   "FLYING  CLOUD"   ABOUT  TO   SAIL  FOR 
CALIFORNIA 

The  "Flying  Cloud"  was  built  by  Donald  McKay  in  1851  and  was  commanded  by  the 
noted  Capt.  J.  P.  Creesy  of  Marblehead.  She  was  one  of  the  fastest  ships  ever  built,  holding 
the  record  up  to  that  time  of  4273^  miles  for  a  day's  run,  and  making  the  voyage  to  California 
in  the  then  unheard-of  time  of  eighty-nine  days.  This  record  for  a  day's  run  exceeded  by 
forty-two  miles  that  of  the  fastest  mail  steamship  on  the  Atlantic  up  to  that  year. 


A   FEW  ANECDOTES   OF  THE   CLIPPER   SHIP   DAYS 

The  sea  was  the  Wall  Street  and  the  State  Street  of  the  days  when 
shipping  was  in  its  prime  and  the  chief  topic  of  conversation  was 
as  to  who  owned  the  fastest  ship.  The  merchants  and  ship  owners, 
of  Boston  met  "on  'change"  in  front  of  the  old  Merchants'  Exchange 
on  State  Street,  and  would  lay  many  a  wager  from  the  customary 
beaver  hat  to  thousands  of  dollars  on  the  clippers  that  were  about  to 
sail.  Every  man  connected  with  shipping  supported  his  favorite 
clipper  and  many  a  captain  loved  his  vessel  almost  as  much  as  the 
members  of  his  family.  It  is  related  that  Captain  Hardy  of  the  bark 
"Young  Turk"  of  Boston  was  obliged  to  give  up  going  to  sea  on  ac- 
count of  ill  health,  and  as  the  vessel  left  the  dock  he  patted  her  side, 
while  the  tears  rolled  down  his  cheeks. 

The  ships  in  the  China  Tea  trade  usually  docked  at  T  Wharf, 
which  was  covered  with  brick  warehouses,  and  here  the  teas  and 
silks  from  the  East  were  unloaded.     It  was  a  common  joke  in  China 


OLD   SHIPPING   DAYS   IN   BOSTON 

that  the  Americans  had  nothing  to  offer  in  return  for  the  produce  of 
the  East  except  ice,  apples,  and  bills! 

Superiority  in  speed  became  more  and  more  necessary  to  success 
in  shipping.  When  Daniel  Draper,  a  Boston  fruit  merchant,  had  his 
bark  "Jehu"  built  he  told  the  builder  that  he  must  have  a  vessel 
that  could  sail  even  if  she  could  carry  only  a  box  of  oranges.  A  good 
idea  of  the  deep  sea  trade  is  conveyed  by  Captain  Clark,  who,  in 
"The  Clipper  Ship  Era"  declares  that  "yacht  racing  ...  in  com- 
parison with  the  old  clipper  ship  racing,  resembles  snipe  shooting  as 
compared  with  hunting  big  game  in  the  wilds  of  Africa,  while  the  gold 
and  silver  yacht  racing  cups  appear  as  mere  baubles  beside  the  mo- 
mentous stake  of  commercial  supremacy  for  which  the  clippers 
stretched   their  wings." 

One  of  the  most  extraordinary  races  was  from  China  to  England 
between  the  "Taeping"  and  the  "Ariel,"  there  being  however  three 
more  clippers  in  the  contest.  The  latter  was  the  winner  of  this  six- 
teen thousand  mile  race  by  the  small  margin  of  only  twelve  minutes, 
and  even  this  was  disputed.  Another  thrilling  contest  was  between 
the  two  clippers  "Champion  of  the  Seas"  and  the  "James  Baines," 
both  bound  from  England  to  Calcutta  Avith  troops.  These  two  great 
ships  raced  in  from  sea  almost  abreast,  with  every  sail  set,  with  their 
regimental  bands  playing  national  airs,  and  amid  wild  cheers  from  the 
soldiers  and  sailors  on  board.  These  ocean  races  which  lasted  for 
many  weeks  were  a  great  strain  on  the  officers  and  men,  and  on 
many  a  voyage  the  captains  got  no  sleep  for  nights  on  end.  The 
sailors  were  often  a  tough  lot  of  men,  but  they  nevertheless  had  the 
reputation  of  being  hard  workers;  in  fact,  it  has  often  been  said  of 
them  that  they  worked  like  horses  at  sea,  and  behaved  like  asses 
ashore. 

Our  clippers  were  so  successful  that  the  American  Navigation  Club, 
of  which  Daniel  C.  Bacon  of  Boston  was  president,  issued  a  chal- 
lenge in  1852  to  British  ship  builders  and  owners,  stipulating  that 
"two  ships  should  be  modelled,  commanded,  and  officered  entirely 
by  citizens  of  the  United  States  and  Great  Britain  respectively,  and 
that  they  should  sail  with  cargo  on  board  from  a  port  in  England 
to  a  port  in  China  and  back  to  the  English  port,  the  prize  for  the 
winning  vessel  to  be  £10,000."  Captain  Philip  Dumaresq  of  Boston 
would  probably  have  commanded  the  American  ship  had  the  race 
taken  place.  Some  of  the  other  members  of  the  Navigation  Club  and 
interested  in  the  challenge  were  T.  H.  Perkins,  J.  P.  Cushing,  William 

(H.  Boardman,  John  M.  Forbes,  Warren  Delano,  and  Edward  King, 
all  well-known  merchants  of  this  city.  The  English  newspapers 
endeavored  to  persuade  their  countrymen  to  accept  the  challenge 
before  the  time  limit  expired.  No  acceptance  however  was  re- 
ceived, therefore  the  Americans  decided  to  increase  the  stake  to 
£20,000  and  to  allow  the  Englishman  two  weeks'  start,  but  even 
with  this  handicap  the  proposal  was  declined. 

During  the  wild  race  for  gold  in  California  in  1849  seven  hundred 
^  and  seventy-five  vessels  cleared  from  Atlantic  ports  for  San  Francisco, 


OLD   SHIPPING   DAYS   IN   BOSTON 

Massachusetts  sending  two  hundred  and  twenty-four  of  this  num- 
ber. Ninety-one  thousand  four  hundred  and  five  passengers  from 
almost  every  nation  on  the  globe  arrived  in  the  Golden  City  during 
that  year,  whereas  the  previous  year  only. four  vessels  arrived  from 
Atlantic  ports.  Officers  and  crews  rushed  ashore  in  search  of  the  gold, 
leaving  their  ships  to  take  care  of  themselves,  and  the  result  was 
that  many  vessels  never  again  left  the  harbour  of  San  Francisco, 
being  transformed  into  store  ships,  hotels,  hospitals  and  even  prisons. 
Many  were  actually  left  there  to  decay.  One  full  rigged  ship  which 
was  run  ashore  was  made  into  a  "bunk-house"  as  the  Westerners 
called  it,  a  door  being  then  cut  in  her  side,  with  a  painted  hotel  sign 
over  it.  Another  vessel  was  utilized  as  a  saloon,  and  still  another, 
the  "Euphemia,"  became  the  first  prison  in  San  Francisco.  A  rather 
curious  thing  happened  to  the  "Niantic";  she  was  beached  and  turned 
into  a  warehouse,  gradually  becoming  imbedded  in  mud  at  some  dis- 
tance from  the  shore.  In  her  new  role  she  made  large  sums  of  money 
for  her  owner.  A  fire,  however,  burned  her  topsides,  but  the  rest  of 
her  hull  was  utilized  as  the  cellar  of  the  Niantic  Hotel,  which  was 
the  only  really  dry  cellar  in  the  neighborhood.  Some  time  later 
the  building  was  torn  down,  and  thirty-five  baskets  of  champagne 
were  found  hidden  between  the  floor  timbers,  having  been  there  for 
over  twenty-one  years.  This  wine  was  very  choice,  and  some  of  the 
"forty-niners"  celebrated  their  arrival  there  many  years  before  by 
opening  a  bottle.  At  the  height  of  the  gold  fever  every  shipyard  on 
the  coast  set  to  work  to  build  ships,  even  the  farmers  becoming  wood 
sawyers,  and  every  one  who  worked  on  a  vessel  was  allowed  a  share 
in  the  venture.  An  ordinary  seaman  commanded  wages  of  ^150  per 
month  or  even  more,  and  there  was  a  yarn  that  went  around  among 
seamen  that  during  these  times  a  captain  had  to  produce  satisfactory 
recommendations  from  his  last  crew  before  a  new  one  would  ship  with 
him.  At  one  time  freight  rates  were  $60  per  ton  of  forty  cubic  feet, 
some  vessels  netting  as  much  as  $72,000  on  one  voyage  out.  Beef  and 
flour  brought  $50  a  barrel,  and  miners  were  paid  from  $100  to  $1,000 
a  day  for  washing  dirt. 

During  this  craze  the  following  ditty  was  sung  by  many  gold  seekers 
bound  round  the  Horn  for  California: — 

"I  come  from  Salem  City 
With  my  wash-bowl  on  my  knee, 
I'm  going  to  California 
The  gold  dust  for  to  see. 
It  rained  all  day  the  day  I  left, 
The  weather  it  was  dry; 
The  sun  so  hot  I  froze  to  death, 
Oh,  brother,  don't  you  cry. 

"O  California, 
That's  the  land  for  me, 
I'm  going  to  California 
With  my  wash-bowl  on  my  knee!" 


OLD   SHIPPING   DAYS   IN   BOSTON 

In  1867  the  merchants  of  Boston  formed  a  steamship  line  to  run 
between  this  port  and  Liverpool.  The  first  steamer  built  was  the 
"Ontario"  and  on  her  trial  trip  all  the  stockholders  were  invited  to 
dinner  on  board  of  her.  In  giving  a  toast  one  of  the  gentlemen  pres- 
ent finished  his  remarks  by  saying  "and  here  is  my  dividend,"  meaning, 
of  course,  the  dinner.  It  did  happen  that  the  enterprise  was  a  fail- 
ure and  the  dinner  was  all  that  any  one  got  out  of  it. 

A  curious  accident  happened  off  Cape  Cod  in  1901.  Up  to  that 
time  only  two  six-masters,  the  "Eleanor  A.  Percy"  of  Bath,  and  the 
"George  W.  Wells"  of  Boston,  had  ever  been  built,  and,  curiously 
enough,  these  two  vessels,  the  only  two  of  their  kind  in  existence, 
unfortunately  collided,  the  damage  luckily  being  slight. 

It  may  interest  card  players  to  know  that  it  is  supposed  that  an 
American  packet  ship  first  introduced  poker  into  London. 


LAUN'CHING   OF  THE   FIRST   SCHOONER 

Massachusetts  holds  the  honor  of  having  built,  launched,  and  named 
the  first  schooner,  which  has  been  referred  to  as  the  "greatest  gift  of 
American  shipyards  to  the  merchant  fleet  of  the  sea  before  the  Revo- 
lution." The  schooner  is  distinctly  a  Yankee  type,  and  Massa- 
chusetts cherishes  the  tradition  that  surrounds  her  launching.  In 
1713  Captain  Andrew  Robinson  of  Gloucester  built  the  first  schooner 

igged  vessel,  and  as  she  slid  gracefully  into  the  water,  one  of  the 
spectators  exclaimed,  "See  how  she  'scoons.'"  Her  owner  jumped 
at  the  idea  and  replied,  "A  schooner  let  her  be!"  In  this  way  origi- 
nated a  name  which  has  been  applied  to  two-masted  fore-and-aft 
rigged  vessels,  a  type  so  popular  in  and  so  distinctive  of  American 
waters.  It  should  be  explained  that  the  word  "scoon"  was  used  to 
describe  the  skipping  of  a  flat  stone  on  the  water.  This  new  rig 
was  a  great  boon  to  our  Merchant  Marine,  and  it  was  not  long  before 
Europe  began  to  realize  its  advantages.  Such  a  vessel  could  sail 
very  close  to  the  wind  and  could  be  manned  by  a  small  crew.  Ever 
since  the  year  171 3  Gloucester  has  been  the  home  of  the  schooner. 
This  same  Captain  Robinson  was  also  a  great  fisherman,  and  it  was 

aid  of  him  that,  when  the  fish  were  biting  fast,  he  would  not  leave 
:he  deck  to  eat  his  lunch,  but  instead  he  had  a  biscuit  brought  to 
lim  which  he  "contrived  to  eat  by  working  it  round  in  his  mouth 
with  his  teeth  and  lip,  while  his  hands  were  attending  to  the  hook 

nd  line."     Men  like  Captain  Robinson  have  made  Gloucester  one 

f  the  most  noted  fishing  ports  in  the  world. 


SAMUEL   SHAW,   PIONEER  OF  THE   CHINA  TRADE 

Major  Samuel  Shaw  belonged  to  one  of  the  best  families  of  Boston. 
ie  served  bravely  under  General  Knox  during  the  Revolution,  and 
was  so  poor  after  the  war  that  he  determined  to  go  into  business.  At 
this  time  some  capitalists,  being  desirous  of  opening  up  our  commerce 


OLD   SHIPPING   DAYS   IN   BOSTON 


From  a  print  In  "The  Journals  of  Major  Samuel  Shaw" 

SAMUEL   SHAW  OF  BOSTON,  PIONEER   OF  THE   CHINA  TRADE  | 

with  China,  offered  him  the  position  of  commercial  agent  for  the 
voyage.  Shaw  promptly  accepted  on  condition  that  Captain  Randall, 
a  friend  of  his  during  the  war,  should  be  allowed  to  share  the  profits 
with  him.  He  accordingly  set  sail  from  New  York  in  1784  in  the 
"Empress  of  China,"  which  was  the  first  American  vessel  to  carry 
our  flag  to  China.  While  off  the  Cape  de  Verde  Islands  the  "Em- 
press "  happened  to  anchor  •  near  another  ship,  of  rather  doubtful 
reputation.  The  Yankee  captain,  as  they  were  about  to  be  visited 
by  the  foreigners,  advised  caution,  saying  amusingly,  "These  fel- 
lows are  St.  Peter's  children,  every  finger  a  fish-hook  and  their  hand 
a  grapnel."  This  advice  probably  prevented  the  ship  from  losing 
many  valuables. 

The  American  vessel  sailed  up  the  Canton  River  to  Whampoa, 
twelve  miles  below  Canton,  where  she  was  saluted  by  the  other 
foreign  ships,  the  English  sending  over  an  officer  to  welcome  our 
flag  to  that  part  of  the  world.  At  Canton  the  newcomer  was  visited 
by  the  principal  Chinese  merchants  of  the  city  and  by  the  occupants 
of  many  of  the  "factories"  of  business  offices  of  the  foreign  countries. 
Major  Shaw  was  much  impressed  with  the  fact  that  no  Europeans 


ID 


I 


OLD   SHIPPING   DAYS   IN   BOSTON 

were  allowed  to- remain  in  Canton  throughout  the  whole  year.  When 
the  ships  had  sailed  and  they  had  settled  their  accounts  with  the 
Chinese,  they  retired  to  Macao,  where  each  nation  ran  its  own  estab- 
lishment, until  their  ships  arrived  the  next  season.  Shaw  also  men- 
tions the  "banksalls"  at  Whampoa  on  the  shore  for  the  storing  of 
spars,  sails,  casks,  etc.  Each  nation  had  its  "banksall"  which  the 
Chinese  erected  at  a  cost  of  about  $200,  tearing  them  down  as  soon 
as  they  were  vacated,  in  order  that  they  might  set  up  new  ones  and 
thereby  repeat  the  charge. 

As  no  foreigner  at  that  time  was  allowed  in  the  custom  house  it 
was  also  necessary  to  employ  a  linguist  at  considerable  additional  ex- 
pense; nor  should  the  trader  forget  to  bring  to  the  "hoppo,"  the  chief 
officer  of  the  customs,  some  "sing-songs"  or  articles  of  curiosity  from 
which  the  "  hoppo  "  selected  such  as  happened  to  please  him.  He  asked 
for  a  price  to  be  fixed,  but  it  was  understood  that  the  charge  should  be 
about  one-twentieth  of  the  actual  value.  The  "hoppo"  who  in- 
spected the  Yankee  vessel  was  disappointed  to  find  out  that  there 
were  no  "sing-songs"  on  board,  and  suggested  that  on  the  next  voy- 
age these  important  requisites  be  not  forgotten.  The  "Empress" 
carried  out  a  cargo  of  lumber,  rum,  and  ginseng,  and  returned  laden 
with  tea  and  silk. 

The  Chinese  could  not  distinguish  between  the  English  and  the 
Americans  on  this  first  voyage  to  China,  and  continually  referred 
to  the  Yankees  as  the  "New  People."  When  shown  the  map  of  the 
United  States,  they  began  to  realize  we  were  a  separate  nation,  and 
when  they  saw  the  extent  of  our  territory  it  gave  to  them  great  hopes 
of  future  commerce  with  their  country.  The  Chinese  were  good 
traders  and  never  hesitated  to  offer  a  third  as  much  as  the  goods  were 
worth.  Major  Shaw  in  his  diary  quotes  the  following  conversation 
upon  the  consummation  of  a  bargain,  "You  are  not  Englishmen.^" 
said  the  Chinaman.  "No."  " But  you  speak  English  word,  and  when 
you  first  come,  I  no  can  tell  difference;  but  now  I  understand  very 
well.  When  I  speak  Englishman  his  price,  he  say,  'So  much — take  it 
— let  alone.'  I  tell  him,  'No,  my  friend,  I  give  so  much.'  He  look  at 
me, — 'Go  to  Hell,  you  damned  rascal!  What!  you  come  here — set  a 
price  my  goods?'  I  see  you — no  Englishman."  Major  Shaw  said 
that  justice  compelled  him  to  add  the  rest  of  the  Chinaman's  remarks. 
"All  men  come  first  time  China  very  good  gentlemen,  all  same  you. 
I  think  two  three  time  more  you  come  Canton,  you  all  same  English- 
man too." 

Major  Shaw  made  a  second  trip  to  China  in  1786  to  assume  his 
duties  as  the  first  United  States  consul  ever  sent  to  China,  which  posi- 
tion was  deemed  necessary  on  account  of  the  steadily  increasing  trade 
with  the  East.  This  post  carried  "neither  salary,  fees  nor  perquisites," 
yet  it  marked  an  important  era  in  the  extension  of  the  trade  of  this 
country.  On  this  voyage  the  ship  met  with  a  curious  accident.  The 
main  topmast  caught  on  fire  owing  to  the  friction  of  a  runner,  and  fell 
end  first  into  a  chest  of  powder,  luckily  doing  no  harm.  Not  long 
after  his  arrival  in  China  the  new  consul  visited  Calcutta,  where  he 

II 


OLD       SHIPPING       DAYS       IN      BOSTON] 

mentioned  meeting  his  friends  Benjamin  Joy  and  George  Scott,  both 
of  Boston. 

In  1789  Shaw  built  and  launched  in  Quincy  on  the  land  now  owned 
by  the  Sailors'  Snug  Harbour,  the  "Massachusetts,"  which  was  the 
largest  merchant  vessel  that  had  ever  been  built  in  the  United  States 
up  to  this  time  and  was  the  first  of  the  American  West  Indiamen. 
The  launching  was  attended  by  many  people  and  was  of  national 
importance.  Amasa  Delano,  a  well-known  name  in  Boston  and  New 
York  shipping,  was  her  mate,  Job  Prince  acting  as  captain.  Just  before 
sailing,  Moll  Pitcher  of  Lynn,  the  celebrated  soothsayer,  prophesied 
that  the  "Massachusetts"  would  be  an  unlucky  ship.  The  crew 
immediately  deserted,  likewise  a  second  crew,  the  third  one  finally 
going  to  sea.  Her  voyage  to  China  with  Shaw  on  board  was  a  failure, 
as  her  planking  was  made  of  such  green  wood  that  it  rotted  and  spoiled 
her  cargo  of  meat.  Curious  to  say,  she  carried  no  chronometer,  and 
it  is  wonderful  that  she  ever  reached  her  destination.  The  vessel  was 
sold  at  Canton.  Major  Shaw,  who  was  principal  owner,  died  on  the 
voyage  home  at  the  age  of  only  thirty-nine.  Two  years  before  he 
married  the  daughter  of  William  Phillips,  who  died  many  years  later 
at  Dedham.  Major  Shaw  adopted  the  two  sons  of  his  brother  when 
they  were  left  orphans,  and  one  of  them  was  the  grandfather  of  Colonel 
Robert  Gould  Shaw,  the  famous  leader  of  the  colored  regiment  in  the 
Civil  War.  Josiah  Quincy,  who  edited  his  memoirs,  said  of  Major 
Shaw,  "I  have  never  known  an  individual  of  a  character  more  ele- 
vated and  chivalric,  acting  according  to  a  purer  standard  of  morals, 
imbued  with  a  higher  sense  of  honor,  and  uniting  more  intimately 
the  qualities  of  the  gentleman,  the  soldier,  the  scholar,  and  the  Chris- 
tian." He  was  an  excellent  man  to  represent  us  in  a  new  country 
and  certainly  deserves  a  prominent  place  in  our  maritime  history. 

PERKINS    &   CO. 

Fourteen  years  after  Major  Shaw's  last  voyage  to  China,  Colonel 
Thomas  Handasyd  Perkins,  one  of  Boston's  foremost  merchants  and 
head  of  the  Boston  house  of  J.  &  T.  H.  Perkins,  founded  the  house 
of  Perkins  &  Co.  in  China,  the  second  largest  American  firm  in  that 
country.  The  house  of  Perkins  &  Co.  had  a  successful  career,  being 
merged  in  1824  with  Russell  &  Co.  Many  prominent  men  have  been 
connected  with  this  house,  and  owe  their  success  and  fortunes  to  this 
first  voyage  to  the  East.  Colonel  Perkins  in  his  youth  was  employed 
by  the  Messrs.  Shattuck,  one  of  the  most  active  firms  of  merchants  in 
Boston  at  one  time.  In  1789  he  first  turned  his  attention  to  China, 
going  out  as  supercargo  in  the  "Astraea,"  which  was  owned  by  Elias 
Hasket  Derby,  often  called  the  King  of  Salem  Merchants.  The 
"Astraea,"  a  few  years  later,  was  the  first  vessel  to  carry  our  flag  to 
Manila.  The  firm  of  J.  &  T.  H.  Perkins  fitted  out  its  ships  at  Central 
Wharf. 

Just  after  the  fall  of  Robespierre,  Colonel  Perkins  witnessed  the 
guillotining  of  the  revolutionary  Attorney-general  Tinville  and   his 

'  12  » 


OLD   SHIPPING   DAYS   IN   BOSTON 

jury,  sixteen  persons  being  beheaded  in  the  short  space  of  twelve 
minutes.  While  in  Paris,  at  the  suggestion  of  President  Monroe,  he 
arranged  for  the  transportation  to  America  of  George  Washington 
Lafayette,  on  a  ship  commanded  by  Captain  Thomas  Sturgis,  a  brother 
of  Russell  Sturgis,  who  married  the  Colonel's  daughter.  Young 
Lafayette  lived  with  General  Washington  in  Mount  Vernon  for 
one  year,  and  when  Colonel  Perkins  returned  home  he  was  asked  to 
visit  Washington  and  receive  the  General's  thanks  for  the  help  he 
had  rendered  the  young  Frenchman.  In  the  room  where  Colonel 
Perkins  slept  was  a  picture  of  Lafayette,  and  in  the  main  hall  was 
the  key  of  the  Bastille.  As  a  testimonial  of  President  Washington's 
admiration  of  Colonel  Perkins,  he  offered  him  the  Secretaryship  of 
the  Navy.  The  latter  politely  refused  the  position,  saying  that  he 
owned  a  larger  fleet  of  vessels  than  the  United  States  Navy  possessed 
and  believed  he  could  do  more  good  by  continuing  to  manage  his  own 
property.  It  was  Colonel  Perkins  who  jokingly  used  to  remark  to 
his  young  nephew,  R.  B.  Forbes,  while  helping  him  to  pudding,  that 
he  wouldn't  get  any  half  as  good  off  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope.  This 
prediction  came  true,  for  the  latter  not  long  afterwards  entered  his 
uncle's  counting  house  in  Boston  and  then  sailed  some  of  the  firm's 
ships. 

The  Perkins  family  lived  in  Pearl  Street,  but  later  moved  to  Temple 
Place,  building  the  house  which  is  now  occupied  by  the  Provident 
Institution  for  Savings.  Near  by,  too,  lived  his  daughter,  Mrs. 
Thomas  G.  Cary,  William  H.  Gardiner,  and  his  son-in-law  Samuel 
Cabot.  It  is  said  that  the  Perkins's  house  had  a  front  door,  made  of 
oak  cut  from  one  of  our  celebrated  war  ships,  which  closed  with  a 
great  thud  that  could  be  heard  by  all  the  neighbors.  Temple  Place 
in  those  days  was  called  "The  Court"  as  it  was  closed  on  the  Wash- 
ington Street  end,  and  here  the  boys  of  "The  Court"  played  baseball, 
while  the  sisters,  cousins,  and  friends  looked  on  and  applauded. 
The  letters  of  Mrs.  R.  B.  Forbes  mention  some  of  those  who  took 
part  in  these  games:  Charles  Gardiner;  John,  Robert,  and  Thomas 
Cushing;  George  and  Stanton  Whitney;  Richard  Cary,  Louis  Cabot, 
and  many  others. 

The  story  of  Colonel  Perkins's  death  best  illustrates  the  great 
strength  of  character  that  made  him  so  successful  in  his  business,  most 
of  which  was  conducted  with  China.  When  he  was  dying  his  sister 
begged  him  to  leave  his  chair  and  go  to  his  bed,  to  which  he  replied 
with  decision,  "Certainly  not;  I  have  always  proposed  to  die  dressed 
and  sitting  in  my  chair."  And  he  did!  During  the  funeral  services 
the  merchants  of  Boston  closed  their  offices,  a  recognition  shown  to 
"few  others;  also  the  bells  of  the  city  were  tolled  for  one  hour,  and  the 
scores  of  vessels  in  the  harbour  displayed  their  colors  at  half  mast. 
During  the  burial  services  the  children  of  the  choir  from  the  Perkins 
Institution  for  the  Blind,  which  had  been  founded  chiefly  through  his 
generosity,  sang  a  requiem. 

At  one  time  during  his  life  he  and  his  son  and  his  grandson,  all  of 
the   same   name,   made   a   trip   to   Europe   together.     In   some   later 

14 


*  n 

3  ^ 


rf  ,-."0 
O  p  J^ 
n  "  P 
0^3 


3     o  ?  g^ 

c      •    :r  ii, 
—      m  Mo 


H^.     :::; 


3    3 

3  " 


OLD   SHIPPING   DAYS   IN   BOSTON 


From  a  photograph 


Courttsy  oj  a  member  of  Russell  &•  Co.,  now  living  in  Boston 


OFFICES   OF   RUSSELL  &   CO.  IN  SHANGHAI  ABOUT  1867 

On  the  ground  floor  of  the  building  in  the  foreground  were  the  offices  of  the  Chinese 
Comprador  and  his  assistants,  on  the  second  floor  were  the  general  business  offices,  and  on 
the  top  floor  were  the  bedrooms  and  parlors  of  the  clerks.  The  next  building  was  the  resi- 
dence of  the  partners  of  the  firm.  The  "Go-downs  "  or  warehouses  stood  on  the  left, 
with  large  rooms  for  the  Tea  Taster  and  Silk  Inspector.  The  premises  were  surrounded  by 
a  high  wall  with  two  entrances  in  charge  of  porters.  The  river  ran  in  front  of  the  buildings 
and  there  the  vessels  anchored  to  load  or  discharge  their  cargoes. 

pamphlet  more  will  be  said  of  the  two  younger  Perkinses,  and  also  of 
Augustine  Heard,  the  head  at  one  time  of  an  important  American 
house  in  the  East. 

RUSSELL   &    CO. 

The  most  important  American  firm  east  of  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope 
was  Russell  &  Co.,  which  was  established  at  Canton  on  January  I, 
1824.  This  house  was  usually  referred  to  as  Kee  Cheong  by  the 
Chinese,  who  had  their  own  name  for  every  foreign  firm  owing  to 
their  inability  to  pronounce  correctly  the  English  and  other  names. 
Canton  was  then  the  only  port  in  China  open  to  foreigners,  but  later 
eight  other  branches  were  established  at  Hong  Kong,  Foochow, 
Shanghai,  and  other  places.  The  partners  of  this  house  included 
many  well-known  New  York,  Connecticut,  and  Massachusetts  names, 
among  the  latter  such  men  as  Augustine  Heard  of  Ipswich,  W.  H. 
and  A.  A.  Low  both  of  Salem,  Thomas  T.,  John  M.,  R.  B.,  James  M., 
and  F.  B.  Forbes,  all  of  Boston,  Warren  and  Edward  Delano  of  Fair- 

16 


<=:  o 

§;  M 

>  r 

> 
H 
W 
D 

O 

r 

w 


o 


j*a>^fc»i*6«..  r       .    *  -        t%y**flteV 


OLD   SHIPPING   DAYS   IN   BOSTON 

haven,  Russell  Sturgis,  Joseph  Coolidge,  Robert  Shaw  Sturgis,  Ed- 
ward Cunningham,  George  Tyson,  H.  S.  Grew,  W.  H.  Foster,  Jr., 
E.  D.  Barbour,  Walter  Scott  Fitz,  and  David  O.  Clark,  also  of  Boston, 
E.  W.  Stevens  of  Lawrence,  and  F.  Delano  Hitch  of  Fairhaven.  These 
men  ploughed  distant  seas  in  their  New  England-built  ships,  and  trans- 
acted business  with  every  port  of  the  world,  and  while  in  China  prac- 
tically lived  in  exile  for  many  years  at  a  time. 

The  firm  was  founded  by  Samuel  Russell,  whose  picture  is  on 
page  15.  Mr.  Russell  went  out  to  China  from  Middletown,  Con- 
necticut, in  18 18  as  representative  of  B.  &  T.  C.  Hoppin  of  Providence. 
In  five  years  he  and  Philip  Amidon,  who  represented  Brown  &  Ives 
also  of  Providence,  formed  the  partnership  of  Russell  &  Co.  Five  years 
later  Mr.  J.  P.  Cushing,  who  was  placed  in  charge  of  the  house  of 
Perkins  &  Co.  of  China  at  the  age  of  16,  effected  a  consolidation  of  these 
two  great  firms,  John  M.  Forbes,  Augustine  Heard,  and  W.  A.  Low 
being  taken  into  partnership.  Russell  &  Co.  expanded  its  business  and 
soon  became  the  most  powerful  American  house  in  the  East,  having 
connections  in  London  with  Baring  Bros.  &  Co.  and  the  Rothschilds 
in  France;  in  India  with  Jamsetjee,  Jejeebhoy  &  Sons;  and  in 
Boston  at  different  times  with  J.  and  T.  H.  Perkins,  Bryant  and 
Sturgis,  W.  Appleton  &  Co.,  and  Robert  G.  Shaw. 

The  offices  of  Russell  &  Co.  were  in  the  centre  of  the  row  of 
"Hongs"  as  shown  in  the  picture  on  page  20. 

Shewan  Tomes  &  Co.  became  the  successors  of  Russell  &  Co. 
occupying  the  same  old  offices.  Upon  the  walls  can  still  be  seen  the 
pictures  of  some  of  the  famous  ships  that  belonged  to  the  firm;  even 
the  linen  now  used  by  the  new  firm  bears  the  inscription  "R.  &  Co."; 
and  the  same  "Kee  Cheong"  blue  and  white  flag,  that  has  sailed  over 
so  many  seas,  still  flies  over  the  building. 


O  fair  she  was  to  look  on,  as  some  spirit  of  the  sea, 

When  she  raced  from  China,  homeward,  with  her  freight  of  fragrant  tea, 

And  the  shining  swift  bonito  of  the  wide-winged  albatross 

Claimed  kinship  with  the  clipper  beneath  the  Southern  Cross. 

Close  hauled,  with  shortened  canvas,  swift  and  plunging  she  could  sweep 
Through  the  gale  that  rose  to  bar  her  wild  pathway  on  the  deep; 
And  before  the  gale  blew  over,  half  her  drenched  and  driven  crew. 
To  the  tune  of  "Reuben  Ranzo,"  hoisted  topsail  yards  anew. 

From  the  haven  of  the  present  she  has  cleared  and  slipped  away. 
Loaded  deep  and  running  free  for  the  port  of  yesterday, 
And  the  cargo  that  she  carried,  ah!  it  was  not  China  tea. 
She  took  with  her  all  the  glamour  and  romance  of  life  at  sea. 

K.  Tardif. 

THE  LIFE   OF  THE   FOREIGN  MERCHANT  IN   CHINA 

Every  American  who  has  ever  been  a  merchant  in  China  speaks 
with  great  affection  of  his  life  there,  and  regrets  that  the  old  days  have 
gone  by.     The  same  life  goes  on,  however,  although  conditions  are 


D-  I— I 


-,  Kg 


OLD   SHIPPING   DAYS   IN   BOSTON 

considerably  changed.  Many  of  the  old  buildings  are  still  standing, 
but  the  business  is  transacted  by  a  large  number  of  small  firms  instead 
of  by  a  few  large  ones,  and  the  profits  are  much  smaller  than  formerly, 
owing  to  increased  competition,  quicker  voyages,  and  the  introduc- 
tion of  the  steamship  and  the  cable. 

It  may  be  interesting  to  picture  an  American  vessel  arriving  in 
China  in  the  days  of  the  famous  tea  clippers.  The  Yankee  ships 
were  noted  for  their  smart  appearance  as  may  be  seen  by  the  follow- 
ing chanty: 

"A  Yankee  ship  comes  down  the  river, 
Blow,  boys,  blow! 
Her  masts  and  yards  they  shine  like  silver, 
Blow,  my  bully  boys,  blow!" 

The  first  calling  place  was  at  Lintin  Island,  near  Hong  Kong,  unless 
by  chance  the  ship  stopped  for  a  short  time  at  the  old  Portuguese 
settlement  of  Macao,  near  the  mouth  of  the  Canton  River.  At 
Whampoa  twelve  miles  up  the  Canton  River  the  ship  was  measured, 
after  which  the  officials  were  given  a  lunch,  departing  amid  salutes  of 
gongs  and  fireworks.  As  there  were  usually  several  ships  to  be 
measured,  the  day  became  a  holiday.  At  this  port  the  goods  were 
transferred  into  lighters  and  brought  up  the  river  to  Canton,  where 
they  were  stored  in  the  "go-downs"  or  warehouses  belonging  to  the 
"Hong,"  meaning  either  the  business  house  of  one  merchant  or  several 
mercantile  establishments  with  their  servants,  etc.  At  Hong  Kong, 
Foochow,  and  Shanghai,  however,  the  vessels  anchored  off  the  house. 
In  the  "Hong,"  the  firm  lived  and  had  its  offices,  each  individual 
"Hong"  being  called  a  "factory."  The  "Taipan,"  or  head  of  the 
"Hong,"  usually  lived  outside,  but  all  the  rest  of  the  members  and 
their  wives  (when  women  were  allowed  there)  resided  and  had  their 
meals  under  the  same  roof,  living  as  one  large  establishment.  Each 
"factory"  kept  open  house  for  the  reason  that  there  were  no  hotels 
nearby  in  those  days,  and  when  by  chance  any  one  dined  out  it  was 
customary  to  take  one's  servant  along  too  in  order  to  enable  his 
master  to  obtain  such  food  and  tit-bits  as  he  happened  especially  to 
like. 

Women  in  the  early  days  were  not  allowed  in  these  "factories," 
and  it  was  a  well-known  fact  that  the  painter  of  one  of  Houqua's 
pictures,  a  Mr.  Chinnery,  actually  took  refuge  here  in  order  to  avoid  his 
wife.  He  was  in  constant  terror  when  for  some  reason  he  was  obliged 
to  leave  his  new  home  on  temporary  business,  and  on  these  occasions 
his  friends  increased  his  anxiety  by  continually  reporting  to  him  that 
Mrs.  Chinnery  was  believed  to  be  on  her  way  out  there  to  look  him  up. 
He  would  at  once  dash  home  to  his  "factory"  which  was  the  only 
place  in  the  world  in  which  he  felt  really  safe.  Some  of  the  wives 
of  English  and  American  captains  and  supercargoes  invaded  some  of  the 
"Hongs"  in  1830  to  the  horror  of  the  Chinese  officials,  who  believed 
the  "Son  of  Heaven"  would  withdraw  his  "serene  compassion"  if 
the  "she  foreign  devils"  were  not  immediately  dismissed.  The  wife 
of  W.  H.  Low  once  visited  the  American  factory,  whereupon  "several 

21 


OLD   SHIPPING   DAYS   IN   BOSTO 

old  codgers  were  seen  in  immense  coats,  which  had  been  stowed  away 
in  camphor  trunks  for  ten  or  fifteen  years,  and  with  huge  cravats 
on,  and  what  once  were  gloves,  on  their  way  to  make  calls."     The  , 
women  in  later  years  spent  the  hot  weather  in  Japan  or  on  a  moun-.| 
tain  called  "The  Peak"  near  Hong  Kong. 

Since  i860  the  "Hongs"  of  the  different  nations  at  Canton  have 
been  situated  on  an  island  called  Shameen,  in  the  Canton  River. 
Around  this  island  ran  a  "Bund"  or  paved  walk.  Since  the  French- 
English  war  against  China  in  i860  this  valuable  tract  of  land  has 
belonged  one-third  to  the  French  and  two-thirds  to  the  English. 
Each  firm  doing  business  on  Shameen  had  its  "comprador"  through 
whom  all  transactions  with  any  Chinese  were  carried  on.  This  official 
had  his  offices  in  the  "Hong"  with  which  he  was  connected,  and 
guaranteed  all  transactions  with  that  firm;  in  short,  he  was  their 
credit  man.  The  objects  in  having  this  sponsor  were  two-fold;  it 
was  necessary  to  have  some  one  who  could  understand  Chinese  per- 
fectly and  who  also  at  the  same  time  was  familiar  with,  and  could 
vouch  for,  the  Chinese  merchants. 

When  the  cargoes,  which  usually  consisted  of  cotton  goods,  opium, 
quicksilver,  lumber,  and  ginseng  were  sold  and  the  vessel  loaded  with 
tea,  silk,  and  matting,  the  members  of  the  firm  at  Shanghai  had  little 
to  do  until  the  next  vessel  arrived  and  would  therefore  take  a  short 
vacation  by  going  up  river  on  a  hunting  trip.  Here  was  to  be  found 
good  snipe  and  pigeon  shooting,  and  in  the  earlier  days  pheasants 
were  numerous.  The  trip  was  made  in  houseboats,  or  square  scows, 
which  were  elaborately  fitted  up,  and  which  were  propelled  by  six  or 
eight  almost  naked  Chinese,  who  worked  in  shifts  the  tread-mill  that 
turned  a  paddle  wheel  at  the  stern.  Many  Chinese  servants  were 
taken  along,  and  the  food  and  wine  were  of  the  best.  Each  "Hong" 
had  its  houseboat  and  often  on  a  Saturday  afternoon  six  or  eight  of 
these  craft  would  start  up  the  river  to  spend  Sunday.  It  is  related 
that  Mr.  Edward  Cunningham  of  Russell  &  Co.  was  once  in  the  rice 
fields  shooting  when  news  was  brought  to  him  that  one  of  the  firm's 
ships  was  sighted  coming  up  the  river.  He  dropped  his  gun  and  ran 
for  a  great  part  of  a  day  in  order  to  get  to  his  offices  before  the  ship 
arrived.  The  chief  amusements  of  the  "Fankwaes,"  a  word  applied 
by  the  Chinese  to  foreigners,  were  tennis,  rowing,  regattas  on  the 
Canton  River,  race  meetings  for  horses  and  ponies  at  Hong  Kong, 
Foochow,  or  Shanghai,  and  yacht  racing.  A  member  of  Russell  &  Co., 
in  joking  about  the  small  value  that  a  Chinaman  placed  on  his  life, 
used  to  say  that  in  these  races  it  was  customary  to  carry  Chinamen 
as  ballast,  and  if  the  wind  dropped  they  were  given  a  few  "cash" 
and  told  to  swim  ashore. 

Life  in  the  early  days  however  was  rather  dull,  as  foreigners  were 
not  allowed  to  leave  Shameen  Island.  Besides  this,  not  a  letter  or  a 
newspaper  that  had  just  arrived  on  a  ship  from  home  was  ever  deliv- 
ered uiltil  she  had  bought  her  return  cargo,  as  the  success  of  the 
voyage  depended  upon  keeping  secret  all  the  details  of  the  home 
market.     As  a  result  it  often  happened  that  the  foreigners  at  Canton 

22 


OLD   SHIPPING   DAYS   IN   BOSTON 


"HOUQUA,"  THE  WELL-KNOWN  "HONG"  MERCHANT  AT  CANTON 

From  a  painting  in  the  possession  of  one  of  the  partners  of  Russell  &  Co.,  now  living  in 
Boston. 

had  to  wait  six  weeks  before  receiving  letters  that  they  were  almost 
sure  had  come  by  the  last  ship. 

Every  foreigner  had  his  nickname  among  the  Chinese,  and  often 
the  same  word,  for  instance,  that  meant  to  the  foreigner  "fine  fellow," 
by  changing  the  intonation  very  slightly  would  mean  to  the  Chinese 
"damn  fool,"  or  something  equally  unflattering.  It  can  easily  be  seen 
how  careful  a  newcomer  had  to  be. 


■  HOUQUA 

The  most  celebrated  Hong  merchant  at  Canton  was  Houqua,  and 
through  him  all  of  Russell  &  Co.'s  business  in  that  city  was  transacted. 
He  also  acted  for  Perkins  &  Co.  besides  having  many  transactions 

23 


OLD   SHIPPING   DAYS   IN   BOSTON! 

direct  with  the  United  States,  and  was  always  a  warm  friend  of  the 
Americans.  While  discussing  Houqua's  honesty  one  evening  at  the 
house  of  Russell  Sturgis,  then  head  of  Baring  Bros.,  it  was  claimed 
that  no  written  agreements  or  writings  of  any  kind  had  ever  passed 
between  him  and  the  American  firms  for  |whom  he  acted.  Mr. 
Sturgis  went  upstairs  and  brought  down  a  small  piece  of  paper  about 
four  inches  long  by  three-quarters  of  an  inch  wide,  upon  which  were 
written  the  words  "Forty  thousand  dollars,  Houqua."  Mr.  Sturgis 
made  the  statement  that  this  was  the  only  agreement  to  his  knowledge 
that  had  ever  been  found  in  relation  to  any  transactions  between 
them.  An  example  of  Houqua's  kindness  was  shown  when  an 
American  merchant  called  Gideon  Nye,  after  a  long  residence  in 
China,  was  anxious  to  go  home  to  the  States.  He  owed  the  China- 
man, however,  $72,000,  and  felt  that  he  couldn't  leave  without  first 
paying  this  debt.  The  generous  "comprador,"  hearing  of  this  situa- 
tion, promptly  went  to  him  and  said,  "You  and  I  are  No.  i  ole  flen 
[old  friends];  you  belong  honest  man,  only  no  got  chance."  He  then 
proceeded  to  tear  up  the  note,  adding  in  his  pigeon  English:  "Alia 
finishee;  you  go,  you  please.  Wish  you  good  luck  America."  No 
wonder  that  this  extraordinary  Chinaman  has  gone  down  to  posterity, 
and  that  he  has  been  remembered  by  the  large  number  of  Boston 
families  with  whom  he  had  so  many  business  transactions. 

Houqua's  integrity  was  again  shown  when  a  Canton  "comprador" 
proved  dishonest  and  was  found  $50,000  short  in  his  account  with 
Russell  &  Co.  Although  his  word  was  the  only  surety  bond,  he  sent  a 
check  for  the  full  amount  on  that  same  evening  to  the  American 
firm. 

Houqua  was  rather  a  serious  man,  and  according  to  Mr.  William  C. 
Hunter,  who  was  a  partner  of  Russell  &  Co.,  and  who  wrote  several 
books  on  China,  was  known  to  have  perpetrated  only  one  joke  in  his 
entire  life.  A  merchant  called  upon  him,  and  referring  to  the  ex- 
pected English  expedition,  remarked  that  foreigners  now  would  be 
able  to  see  the  Emperor  at  Pekin.  Houqua  replied,  "  'Spose  English- 
men go  Pekin,  Emperor  go  'Shan-Si'"  (Shan't  See),  which  was  the 
province  adjoining.  This  remark  seemed  to  please  the  Oriental 
exceedingly. 

Houqua  in  1830  was  supposed  to  be  worth  over  $26,000,000,  which 
fortune  on  his  death  in  1843  was  administered  by  his  two  sons,  who 
carried  on  their  father's  business.  The  family  is  still  one  of  the 
richest  in  China,  although  no  longer  in  trade.  Houqua  at  one  time 
owned  nearly  all  the  foreign  "Hongs"  on  Shameen  Island,  leasing 
them  to  the  different  foreign  firms;  his  own  estate  was  one  of  the 
largest  in  Canton,  with  many  acres  of  gardens,  containing  fish  ponds, 
bridges,  and  temples. 

A  writer  in  speaking  of  Houqua  said  that  "his  character  left  its 
mark  upon  the  history  of  Chinese  commerce  during  the  half  century 
he  was  so  eminently  at  its  head." 


24 


OLD   SHIPPING   DAYS   IN   BOSTON 


FATHER   TAYLOR   AND    HTS    SEAMEN'S    BETHEL 

"I  located  my  Bethel  in  North  Square  because  I  learned  to  set  my  net 
where  the  fish  ran." 

Edward  Thompson  Taylor,  better  known  as  "Father  Taylor,"  lived 
at  a  time  when  the  wharves  of  Boston  were  crowded  with  ships  getting 
ready  to  sail  for  all  parts  of  the  world  and  when  sailors  could  be  seen 
in  all  of  the  streets.  He  was  known  as  Boston's  sailor  preacher  and 
was  one  of  the  most  curious  and  extraordinary  characters  of  his  day. 
He  was  a  sailor  himself.  "I  came,"  he  said,  "from  a  Spanish  man-of- 
war;  never  saw  Yankee  land;  was  a  Southerner,  a  Virginian,  by 
birth;  and  the  Sea  had  been  my  cradle  and  the  Ocean  rocked  it." 
A  woman  from  Richmond,  Virginia,  adopted  him.  One  day  when  he 
was  seven  years  old,  as  he  was  picking  up  chips  in  the  back  yard,  a 
sea-captain  came  along.  "Want  to  be  a  sailor.^"  he  asked.  Taylor 
promptly  dropped  the  chip-basket  and,  without  bidding  his  foster- 
mother  good-by,  departed  with  the  sea-captain  to  become  a  sailor. 
When  he  was  seventeen,  he  drifted  into  Boston.  He  saw  a  hustling 
little  seaport  of  perhaps  thirty  thousand  people,  and  crowded  Dock 
Square  with  its  dingy  buildings  was  not  very  different  from  the 
European  ports  which  he  had  visited.  The  principal  streets  were 
Hanover  Street  and  Cornhill — now  Washington  Street.  Tremont 
Street  was  then  a  residential  section,  and  Summer  Street  was  "the 
haunt  of  retired  gentlemen  and  retiring  lovers,  who  did  their  soft 
whisperings  and  languishing  promenades  under  green  shadows." 
He  wandered  along  Tremont  Street  and,  hearing  the  bell  of  Park 
Street  Church,  paused.  "I  put  in,"  he  said,  "and  going  to  the  door 
saw  the  port  was  full.  I  up  helm,  unfurled  topsail,  and  made  for  the 
gallery;  entered  safely,  doffed  hat  and  pennant  and  scud  under  bare 
poles  to  the  corner  pew.  There  I  hove  to  anchor.  .  .  .  The  old  man, 
Dr.  Griffith,  was  just  naming  his  text,  which  was  'But  he  lied  unto 
him.'  Pretty  soon  he  unfurled  mainsail,  raised  the  topsail,  run  up 
pennants  to  free  breeze,  and  I  tell  you  the  old  Gospel  ship  never  sailed 
more  prosperously.  The  salt  spray  flew  in  every  direction  but  the 
more  especially  it  run  down  my  cheeks.  I  was  melted.  ...  I  said, 
'Why  can't  I  preach  so.^     I'll  try  it.'" 

That  was  how  this  Booth  of  the  Boston  pulpit  began  his  preaching 
career  that  made  the  Boston  Seamen's  Bethel  world-famous  and  that 
brought  to  its  congregations  nany  famous  persons,  among  them 
Charles  Dickens,  Jenny  Lind,  and  Walt  Whitman.  Here  the  man 
who  had  been  a  sailor  himself,  and  knew  the  temptations  and  hard- 
ships of  the  life,  fought  the  battles  of  sailors  the  world  over. 

Young  Taylor's  preaching  career  did  not  begin  immediately  after 
he  visited  Park  Street  Church.  At  that  time  he  could  not  even  read, 
so  he  decided  to  go  back  to  the  sea,  this  time  sailing  in  the  "Black 
Hawk,"  a  privateer.  He  was  captured  by  a  British  man-of-war, 
taken  to  Melville  Island  and  from  there  to  Dartmoor  prison,  where 
he  was  confined  for  some  time.     In  1814  he  was  back  in  New  England 

25 


OLD   SHIPPING   DAYS   IN   BOSTON! 


F 


From  a  print,  in  "Life  oj  Father  Taylor"  Courtesy  of  the  Boston  Port  and  Seamen's  Aid  Society 

SEAMEN'S  BETHEL  (AS  IT  USED  TO  BE),  NORTH  SQUARE,  BOSTON 
This  interesting  chapel  is  now  the  Sacred  Heart  ItaHan  church,  and  sermons  are  still 
preached  in  it. 

again,  peddling  tin  and  iron  ware  in  a  handcart,  and  buying  rags. 
He  farmed  a  little,  also,  and  every  Sunday  preached.  It  was  about 
this  time,  or  shortly  afterwards,  that  he  began  his  ministry  at  the 
"Old  Rock  Schoolhouse"  in  Saugus.  He  kept  up  peddling  and  cir- 
cuit preaching  for  four  or  five  years,  and  his  facility  in  preaching 
aroused  the  interest  of  the  Rev.  George  Pickering,  who  was  influential 
in  securing  financial  aid  to  send  Taylor  to  school.     Mrs.  Pickering 

26 


OLD   SHIPPING   DAYS   IN   BOSTON 

describes  the  young  man  in  this  way:  "When  E.  T.  Taylor  first  came 
to  our  house,  he  was  buying  up  old  junk.  He  had  on  a  tarpaulin  hat 
and  a  sailor  dress.  He  would  then  deliver  the  most  wonderful  and 
unique  exhortations  ever  heard  and,  if  he  failed  to  know  a  word,  would 
manufacture  one  admirably  suited  to  the  necessity." 

He  was  soon  converted,  describing  his  experience  in  the  following 
words:  "I  was  dragged  through  the  lubber-hole  [he  entered  church  by 
the  window],  brought  down  by  a  broadside  froni  the  '//i'  [Elijah 
Hedding,  the  preacher],  and  fell  into  the  arms  of  Thomas  W.  Tucker 
[the  man  who  urged  him  to  be  converted]."  Taylor  wore  at  the 
time  his  usual  costume,  consisting  of  a  tarpaulin  hat  and  sailor 
jacket. 

The  Seamen's  Bethel  was  built  in  1833  and  for  more  than  forty 
years  he  trod  its  quarter  deck,  as  he  himself  expressed  it,  and  made 
his  name  and  that  of  the  Bethel  known  even  to  foreign  lands.  R.  H. 
Dana,  Jr.  in  "Two  Years  Before  the  Mast"  said  that  the  first  in- 
quiry on  arriving  from  a  distant  land  was  for  Father  Taylor  and  his 
chapel.  A  large  blue  and  white  flag  with  the  letters  "BETHEL" 
■on  it  floated  from  the  low  spire.  Several  sailors,  while  endeavoring 
to  find  the  little  church,  noticed  by  chance  these  letters  on  the  flag, 
and  one  of  them,  spelling  B  E  T  for  "beat"  and  H  E  L  for  "hell," 
said:  "Here  we  are.  Jack,  come  along,  this  is  where  the  old  man  beats 
hell.  Let's  go  right  in  and  cast  anchor."  And  they  did,  and  Father 
Taylor  from  the  prow  of  his  "vessel"  doubtless  beckoned  them  to 
their  seats,  as  was  his  custom,  although  on  some  occasions  sailors 
acted  as  ushers.  Here  came  sailors,  mates,  and  captains  of  all  ages, 
and  often  they  were  accompanied  by  their  wives  and  families. 

The  sailor  preacher  was  most  original,  and  often  he  would  pick 
out  a  "tar"  in  the  church  and,  catching  his  eye,  would  remark: 
"Ah!  here  you  are  again,  God  bless  you!  See  to  your  helm  and  you 
will  reach  a  fairer  port  bye  and  bye."  Once,  noticing  a  man  with  a 
swallow-tail  coat  walking  down  the  aisle,  he  shouted  out,  "Steward, 
stow  that  man  with  a  gaff  topsail  jacket  under  the  wing  and  stow 
sailors  under  the  hatches  [meaning  in  the  main  part  of  the  church]!" 
During  one  service  he  noticed  an  old  sailor  in  a  corner  of  the  church 
and  shouted  out  the  encouraging  remarks:  "And  you,  my  aged 
brother,  you'll  soon  go.  There  are  but  few  cords  to  keep  you  here; 
the  last  tie  will  soon  be  cut.  God  speed  you,  brother, — ^you'll  be 
safe  moored  soon."  Some  one  compared  him  to  a  "veteran  com- 
mander peering  over  the  bow  of  his  ship  to  watch  the  coming  of  a 
hostile  fleet."  His  whole  life  was  devoted  to  the  sailor,  and  often  his 
prayer  was  that  "Bacchus  and  Venus  might  be  driven  to  the  ends 
of  the  earth  and  off  of  it."  He  was  so  earnest  and  convincing  when 
preaching  that  it  is  related  of  him  that  while  vividly  describing  & 
sinful  soul  drifting  towards  shipwreck  a  sailor  in  the  congregation, 
forgetting  where  he  was,  cried  out,  "Let  go  your  best  bower  anchor 
or  you're  lost!"  Another  sailor  visited  one  of  the  other  chapels  in 
Boston  which  had  its  pulpit  on  one  side.  This  was  not  at  all  to 
his  liking  so  he  left  hurriedly,  ejaculating  that  he  would  have  nothing 

27 


OLD   SHIPPING   DAYS   IN   BOSTON 

to  do  with  a  ship  that  hung  its  rudder  amidships.  The  Bethel  was 
arranged  to  please  the  sailor  and,  to  produce  a  more  realistic  effect, 
Father  Taylor  had  a  painting  hung  behind  the  pulpit  showing  a  ship 
in  a  stiff  breeze  off  a  lee  shore. 

Once  when  in  the  midst  of  an  eloquent  sermon,  one  of  his  congre- 
gation rose  from  his  seat  and  started  to  walk  down  the  broad  aisle. 
Father  Taylor  stopped  short  and  said,  "Sh!  Sh!  Keep  still  all  of  you 
and  don't  disturb  that  man  walking  out."  Another  time,  he  observed 
a  woman  whispering.  Scowling  at  her,  he  called  out,  "  If  that  lady  on 
the  third  row,  sitting  in  the  end  seat,  with  a  yellow  bonnet,  don't 
stop  whispering,  I'll  point  her  out!" 

Father  Taylor  preached  in  many  towns  on  the  Cape  and  attended 
many  camp-meetings  there  as  well.  He  once  visited  Duxbury  and 
called  on  the  only  minister  of  the  town,  a  Dr.  Allen,  and  suggested 
that  he  would  like  a  chance  to  preach  there.  Dr.  Allen  protested, 
whereupon  Father  Taylor  asked  him  if  the  Bible  didn't  tell  us  to 
preach  the  gospel  everywhere.  "Yes,"  said  the  Duxbury  minister, 
"but  it  doesn't  say  that  every  'creetur'  can  preach  the  gospel." 
Father  Taylor  was  obliged  to  look  elsewhere  for  an  audience.  On 
another  occasion  while  attending  one  of  his  camp-meetings  some  one 
asked  him  if  a  certain  person  were  a  Christian.  "Not  exactly," 
was  the  reply,  "but  he's  a  very  sweet  sinner." 

During  the  Irish  famine  in  1847,  when  the  "Jamestown"  and 
"Macedonian"  went  over  from  Boston  with  provisions  to  the  starv- 
ing Irish,  Father  Taylor  sailed  on  the  latter  vessel  as  chaplain  and 
supercargo.  Colonel  Thomas  H.  Perkins  gave  .very  generously  of 
supplies  for  these  ships.  When  the  expedition  returned,  an  ovation 
was  given  at  the  Bethel  for  the  preacher,  and  Colonel  Perkins  was  in 
the  audience.  To  the  surprise  of  the  latter.  Father  Taylor  suddenly 
exclaimed:  "Boston's  merchant  princes!!  Do  you  want  to  see  one 
of  them,  boys?  There  he  sits,  look  at  him!"  The  whole  congrega- 
tion arose  and  fixed  its  eyes  upon  Colonel  Perkins  while  the  preacher 
continued;  "God  bless  you,  sir!  When  you  die,  angels  will  fight  for 
the  honor  of  carrying  you  to  heaven  on  their  shoulders." 

On  one  Sunday  before  a  State  election,  Briggs  was  a  candidate  of 
the  Whigs,  and  Father  Taylor,  desiring  his  election,  offered  this 
prayer:  "O  Lord,  give  us  good  men  to  rule  over  us,  just  men,  tem- 
perance men.  Christian  men,  men  who  fear  Thee,  who  obey  Thy  com- 
mandments, men  who — but,  O  Lord,  what's  the  use  of  veering  and 
hauling  and  pointing  all  'round  the  compass?  Give  us  George  N. 
Briggs  for  Governor!"  His  prayer  was  answered  on  the  following 
day. 

According  to  Captain  John  Codman,  one  of  his  typical  sermons  ran 
somewhat  as  follows:  "You  are  buried  down  in  the  lower  hold  among 
the  ballast  and  you  can't  get  out  for  there  is  a  ton  of  sin  on  the  main 
hatch.  You  shin  up  the  stanchions  and  try  to  get  it  open  but  you 
can't.  You  get  your  hand  spikes,  capstan  bars  and  watch  tackles  but 
they  are  no  good.  You  hail  all  the  saints  you  think  are  on  deck  but 
they  can't  help  you.     At  last  you  hail  Jesus  Christ.     All  he  wanted 

28 


OLD   SHIPPING   DAYS   IN   BOSTON 

was  to  be  asked.  He  just  claps  his  shoulder  to  that  ton  of  sin,  it  rolls 
off  and  then  he  says,  'Shipmates,  come  out!'  Well,  if  you  don't  come 
out,  it  is  all  your  own  fault."  He  was  certainly,  as  Captain  Codman 
expressed  it,  "the  sailors'  friend."  Father  Taylor  was  noted  for  his 
frankness.  Once  he  invited  a  friend  of  his  to  preach  and  when  the 
sermon  was  finished  he  rose  and  said,  "If  your  text  had  the  small-pox, 
your  sermon  never  would  have  caught  it."  The  preacher  was  dum- 
founded,  but  was  placated  by  the  flattering  remarks  that  followed. 

He  was  married  to  Deborah  D.  Millett  of  Marblehead  one  day  after 
the  appointed  date  for  the  wedding.  He  went  out  to  Hingham  and 
climbed  to  a  hilltop  in  order  to  get  a  view  of  the  town  where  on  the 
next  day  he  was  to  be  married.  He  was  talking  to  himself,  as  he 
often  did,  when  some  one  asked  him  why  he  did  so.  His  answer  was 
that  he  liked  to  talk  to  a  sensible  man.  Suddenly  the  awful  thought 
came  to  him  that  it  was  his  wedding  day  and  he  was  a  long  way  from 
Marblehead,  especially  as  in  those  days  there  was  no  telegraph,  tele- 
phone, or  even  a  railroad  train.  He  was  unable  to  explain  to  his 
bride  until  the  next  morning,  when  his  forgetfulness  was  forgiven. 

During  the  Cochituate  water  celebration  and  the  dedication  of  the 
Franklin  statue.  Father  Taylor  sailed  in  a  ship  drawn  through  the 
streets,  with  a  crew  in  uniform  on  board  arranging  the  yards  at  the 
command  of  the  venerable  "admiral." 

During  the  latter  part  of  his  life  he  was  talking  over  old  times  with 
a  fellow-minister.  "We  didn't  mince  matters,  did  we,  in  those  days?" 
he  said.  "If  we  couldn't  lift  up  the  sinner  in  any  other  way  we 
just  lifted  the  door  a  little  and  let  him  smell  hell,  didn't  we.'"' 

When  Father  Taylor  was  nearing  his  death,  a  visitor  asked  him  how 
he  was,  to  which  he  sadly  replied  that  he  was  "sailing  by  the  head." 
A  few  hours  later  he  said:  "The  old  hull's  breaking  up;  it  has  taken 
a  good  deal  to  break  her  but  she's  going.  I  feel  her  start  through  all 
her  timbers  when  those  fits  come  on."  He  went  out  with  the  tide, 
as  one  writer  expressed  it,  and  as  he  was  dying  he  doubled  his  fist  at 
his  nurse  because  she  wanted  him  to  die  in  a  different  position  from  that 
in  which  he  insisted  on  dying.  His  wish  was  to  be  buried  in  the  deep 
sea  where  the  seaweed  could  be  his  winding  sheet,  but  this  desire 
was  not  carried  out  for  he  lies  in  Mount  Hope  Cemetery.  A  long 
procession  followed  him  to  his  last  resting-place. 

Walt  Whitman,  who  visited  the  Bethel,  was  much  struck  with  this 
very  original  preacher,  and  wrote  of  him,  "I  repeat,  and  would  dwell 
upon  it,  (more  as  a  suggestion  than  mere  fact) — among  all  the  brilliant 
lights  of  bar  or  stage  I  have  heard  in  my  time — for  years  in  New 
York  and  other  cities  I  haunted  the  courts  to  witness  notable  trials 
and  have  heard  all  the  famous  actors  and  actresses  that  have  been 
in  America  the  past  fifty  years — though  I  recall  marvellous  effects 
from  one  or  other  of  them,  I  never  had  anything  in  the  way  of  vocal 
utterance  to  shake  me  through  and  through  and  become  fixed,  with 
its  accompaniments,  in  my  memory,  like  these  prayers  and  sermons — 
like  Father  Taylor's  personal  electricity  and  the  whole  scene  there — 
the  prone  ship  in  the  gale,  the  dashing  wave  and  foam  for  background 

29 


OLD   SHIPPING   DAYS   IN   BOSTON 

— in  the  little  old  sea-church  in  Boston,  those  summer  Sundays  just 
before  the  Secession  War  broke  out." 

Father  Taylor  was  kind  to  every  one  and  everything — even  to  the 
little  fish  which  he  threw  back  into  the  sea  with  the  remark,  "There, 
little  fellow,  go  and  tell  your  grandmother  that  you  have  seen  a 
ghost!" 

THE   FIRST  AMERICAN   SHIP  TO   SAIL  TO  JAPAN 

The  Japanese  a  hundred  years  or  more  ago  condescended  to  do 
business  with  no  foreigners  except  the  Dutch,  who  were  allowed  to 
send  one  or  two  ships  a  year  from  Batavia  to  Japan  provided  they 
would  submit  to  certain  regulations  which  were  most  humiliating. 
The  Dutch  merchants  who  wanted  to  trade  there  were  restricted  to 
a  small  island  in  Nagasaki  harbour,  and  could  leave  it  only  once  in 
four  years,  when  presents  were  taken  to  the  Shogun  at  Yeddo.  The 
envoys  then  had  to  amuse  the  Court  by  dancing,  jumping,  represent- 
ing a  drunken  man,  speaking  broken  Japanese,  and  singing,  in  fact 
they  had  to  behave  as  foolishly  as  possible  for  the  delight  of  their 
audience.  It  was  during  this  period  of  curious  customs  that  the 
ship  "Franklin"  of  Boston,  commanded  by  Captain  James  Devereux 
of  Salem,  sailed  into  the  harbour  of  Nagasaki,  under  charter  to  the 
Dutch  East  India  Company,  the  first  American  vessel  to  be  received 
there.  At  this  time,  in  the  year  1799,  Japan  was  hardly  known  to 
the  outside  world.  The  log  of  the  "Franklin"  shows  the  curious 
customs  that  had  to  be  observed  by  the  foreign  vessels,  according  to 
instructions  given  to  the  ship  captain  by  the  East  India  Company. 
On  arriving  it  was  necessary  to  dress  ship;  to  prepare  a  table  on  the 
quarter  deck  and  two  cushions  for  the  officers  to  sit  upon  when  they 
came  aboard;  all  the  books,  especially  religious  works,  had  to  be 
placed  in  casks,  sealed  up  and  taken  ashore,  where  they  had  to  be 
kept  until  the  departure  of  the  vessel;  on  passing  the  Cavalles  on  the 
starboard  side  a  salute  of  nine  guns  must  be  fired,  and  at  Papenburg 
a  similar  salute,  with  more  salutes  as  the  ship  proceeded  to  its  anchor- 
age; the  officers  also  had  to  be  saluted  when  they  came  aboard,  and 
many  other  ceremonies  had  to  be  carefully  observed.  According  to 
Captain  Devereux's  log  he  was  able  to  satisfy  the  Japanese  in  every 
way,  and  after  a  four  months'  stay,  sailed  for  Boston  with  such  a  huge 
cargo  of  coffee,  sugar,  and  spices  that  even  the  officers  were  crowded 
out  of  their  rooms  on  to  the  deck  where  temporary  cabins  were  erected. 
The  voyage  to  Japan  had  been  such  a  great  success  that  the  "Massa- 
chusetts," owned  by  Colonel  Perkins,  already  spoken  of,  and  the 
"Margaret"  of  Salem,  under  Captain  Samuel  Derby,  made  voyages 
to  this  distant  land  during  the  next  few  years.  Many  a  Salem  mansion 
contains  souvenirs  of  the  "Franklin's"  voyage,  such  as  trays,  boxes 
of  fans,  mats,  tables,  and  screens.  It  was  not  until  1853  that 
Commodore  Perry  made  his  memorable  trip  to  Japan. 

In  1 801  another  Salem  ship,  the  "Lydia,"  first  flew  the  American 
flag  at  Guam,  which  is  now  owned  by  the  United  States.     In  connec- 

30 


CAPTAIN   GRAY  OF  THE   SHIP   "COLUMBIA"   DISCUSSING  WITH  A  FRIEND 
AT  WHAMPOA  THE  EXPEDITION  TO  THE  COLUMBIA  RIVER  IN  1790 

This  drawing  was  made  by  George  Davidson  of  Charlestown,  who  in  1790  shipped  on 
the  "Columbia"  as  ship's  painter  and  who  was  a  member  of  the  ship's  company  when  the 
Columbia  River  was  named  on  May  19,  1792.  Reproduced  by  courtesy  of  the  Bostonian 
Society. 


CAPTAIN    GRAY   FIRING  ON  NATIVES  TO   KEEP  THEM    FROM    BOARDING 
THE   "COLUMBIA"    IN  THE  STRAITS   OF  JUAN   DE  FUCA 

The  original  drawing  was  also  made  by  George  Davidson.     By  courtesy  of  the  Bostonian 
Society. 


OLD   SHIPPING   DAYS   IN   BOSTON 

tion  with  Guam,  an  amusing  story,  though  recent,  is  told  of  its  cap- 
ture by  the  United  States  cruiser  "Charleston"  in  our  war  with 
Spain.  The  Governor  of  Guam  was  one  afternoon  awakened  from 
his  nap  by  the  booming  of  guns  from  the  Yankee  man-of-war,  and 
with  great  politeness  sent  word  to  the  Commodore  that  he  regretted 
exceedingly  that  he  couldn't  return  the  salute  because  he  had  no 
powder.  To  his  surprise  the  Yankee  informed  the  Spaniard  that  the 
island  had  fallen  into  the  hands  of  Uncle  Sam,  who  has  continued  to 
use  it  ever  since  as  a  naval  station.  Guam  is  one  of  the  "Ladrones" 
group  of  islands.  It  may  be  interesting  to  relate  how  this  name 
happened  to  be  given.  When  Guam  was  first  discovered  by  Magellan 
in  1 521  the  natives  stole  one  of  the  boats  belonging  to  the  Spaniards, 
who  at  once  bestowed  upon  the  new  possession  the  name  "Ladrones," 
which  means  "thieves." 

A  BOSTON  SHIP,  THE  FIRST  TO  NAVIGATE  THE  GLOBE 

AND   ^^O   VISIT  THE   NORTHWEST   COAST 

The  little  ship  "Columbia"  of  Boston,  only  eighty-three  feet  long, 
was  the  first  American  vessel  to  circumnavigate  the  globe,  and  a  few 
years  later  was  also  the  first  to  visit  our  Northwest  Coast.  This  last 
voyage  was  perhaps  the  most  famous  one  ever  undertaken  by  an  Ameri- 
can merchant  ship,  and  its  consequences  were  everlasting.  A  young 
American  seaman  first  called  attention  to  the  importance  of  the  fur 
trade  of  the  Northwest.  He  endeavored  to  influence  English  and 
New  York  merchants,  but  with  no  success  until  he  reached  Boston, 
where  he  succeeded  in  interesting  six  men:  Joseph  Boswell,  a  recent 
graduate  of  Harvard;  Bulfinch,  the  architect;  Captain  John  Derby 
of  Salem;  Samuel  Brown;  Captain  Crowell  Hatch  of  Cambridge; 
and  J.  W.  Pintard  of  New  York.  These  six  enterprising  merchants 
subscribed  $50,000,  which  was  a  very  large  sum  in  those  days. 

The  little  "Columbia,"  which  was  built  on  the  North  River  in 
Scituate,  where  over  a  thousand  seagoing  ships  have  been  launched, 
was  selected  for  the  long  voyage,  and  as  her  consort  an  even  smaller 
craft,  a  ship  of  ninety  tons,  called  the  "Lady  Washington,"  was  chosen. 
The  commander  of  the  "Columbia"  was  John  Kendrick  of  Wareham, 
the  captain  of  the  other  vessel  being  Robert  Gray  of  Boston.  To 
the  latter  was  really  due  the  success  of  the  expedition.  The  State 
and  Federal  Governments  were  especially  interested  in  the  under- 
taking, and  many  special  medals  were  struck  off  and  distributed  at 
the  ports  where  the  vessels  touched.  Hundreds  of  these  medals 
were  later  found  among  the  Spaniards  in  South  America,  throughout 
the  Sandwich  Islands,  and  Oregon.  The  two  vessels  sailed  from 
Boston  on  September  30,  1787,  amid  a  tremendous  demonstration. 
They  encountered  heavy  gales  off  Cape  Horn,  and  only  the  determi- 
nation of  Kendrick  and  Gray  enabled  them  to  reach  their  destination. 
The  smaller  of  the  two,  the  "Lady  Washington,"  arrived  first,  and 
while  waiting,  Captain  Gray  and  his  brave  crew  were  attacked  by  the 
Indians,    and    some    of    his    men  killed.     This    place   was    therefore 

33 


1 


OLD   SHIPPING   DAYS   IN   BOSTON 

named  "Murderers'  Harbour."  The  "Columbia"  arrived  a  week 
later,  her  crew  suffering  frightfully  from  scurvy,  the  voyage  having 
consumed  one  whole  year.  The  cargo  of  hardware,  tools,  toys, 
beads,  etc.,  brought  from  Boston  was  gradually  exchanged  during 
the  long  winter  for  furs,  which  were  taken  to  Canton,  the  two  cap- 
tains then  exchanging  commands.  The  proceeds  of  the  skins  were 
used  to  purchase  tea,  which  was  brought  back  to  Boston. 

It  was  in  August  of  1790  that  the  "Columbia"  reached  this  port, 
having  carried  the  American  flag  for  the  first  time  around  the  world. 
This  feat  was  so  much  appreciated  that  both  the  town  artillery  and 
the  Castle  fired  salutes,  and  Governor  Hancock  gave  a  dinner  to 
Captain  Gray,  his  officers,  and  owners  of  the  vessel.  Attoo,  a  young 
Hawaiian  prince,  returned  with  the  adventurers,  having  gone  on 
board  at  the  Hawaiian  Islands.  He  marched  up  State  Street  with 
Captain  Gray,  wearing  "a  helmet  of  gay  feathers,  which  glittered 
in  the  sunlight,  and  an  exquisite  cloak  of  the  same  yellow  and  scar- 
let plumage."  This  was  the  first  time  a  member  of  his  tribe  had 
ever  been  seen  in  Massachusetts.  The  voyage,  however,  was  such 
a  failure  financially  that  Derby  and  Pintard  sold  out  to  the  four 
Boston  men,  who  at  once  began  to  plan  a  second  expedition,  which 
set  sail  in  the  autumn  of  1790.  The  carpenter  under  Captain  Gray 
was  Samuel  Yendell,  who  later  helped  build  the  "Constitution,"  and 
who  was  the  last  survivor  of  the  "  Columbia's  "  crew.  Yendell  was  the 
great-grandfather  of  Governor  W.  E.  Russell  of  Massachusetts.  It 
was  on  this  voyage  that  Gray  discovered  the  river  which  he  called  the 
"Columbia,"  after  his  vessel,  naming  the  headlands  at  the  mouth  of 
the  river  Captain  Hancock  and  Point  Adams.  This  discovery  was  of 
much  influence  in  deciding  the  claim  of  our  Government  to  the 
Oregon  country,  which  included  at  that  time  the  States  of  Oregon, 
Washington  and  Idaho.  Spain,  Russia,  and  Britain  all  considered 
they  had  previously  discovered  this  territory.  This  voyage  was  also 
a  financial  failure,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  cheers  and  salutes  greeted 
the  explorer  when  he  sailed  into  Boston  Harbour  in  1793,  and 
although  the  "Columbia"  had  to  be  sold  at  auction,  she  had  never- 
theless accomplished  the  opening  of  what  later  proved  a  lucrative 
trade  between  Boston  and  the  Northwest. 

FREDERIC  TUDOR— PIONEER  OF  THE  ICE  TRADE 

Boston  in  1805  held  up  its  hands  with  astonishment  when  Frederic 
Tudor  shipped  two  or  three  hundred  tons  of  ice  to  the  West  Indies. 
Dubbed  an  eccentric  person,  Mr.  Tudor  was  left  to  work  out  his 
mercantile  problems,  which  he  did  efficiently  although  with  more 
drawbacks  than  the  ordinarily  successful  man  has  to  contend  with. 
He  had  heard  of  the  ravages  made  in  the  West  Indies  in  1805  by  the 
yellow  fever,  which  swept  before  it  whole  towns  and  cities  and  thinned 
the  ranks  of  the  officers  of  European  fleets  there.  Ice  would  have 
assuaged  the  terror  had  it  been  available.  Mr.  Tudor,  therefore,  dur- 
ing the  next  winter  set  about  cutting  loads  of  ice  from  his  small  pond 

34 


OLD   SHIPPING   DAYS   IN   BOSTON 

in  Saugus.  From  here  he  had  the  ice  hauled  to  Charlestown,  where 
it  was  loaded  on  his  brig  "Favorite"  for  the  island  of  Martinique. 
"Crystal  blocks  of  Yankee  coldness,"  was  the  expression  used  by  one 
writer  to  describe  the  adventure.  A  Boston  newspaper  at  this  time 
ridiculed  the  enterprise,  stating,  "A  vessel  has  cleared  at  the  Custom 
House  for  Martinique  with  a  cargo  of  ice.  We  hope  this  will  not  prove 
a  slippery  speculation."  "What  an  absurd  notion!"  was  the  com- 
ment, and  Air.  Tudor's  friends  one  by  one  lost  confidence  in  him 
just  as  did  the  friends  of  his  famous  contemporary,  "Lord  Timothy 
Dexter,"  the  well-known  shipper  of  warming-pans.  It  was  with  the 
greatest  difficulty  even  that  sailors  could  be  persuaded  to  sail  with 
the  cargo  of  ice,  as  they  believed  it  would  be  sure  to  melt  and  swamp 
the  boat. 

"The  ice  trade,"  Mr.  Tudor  said  in  later  years,  "which  I  originated 
in  1805  by  the  shipment  of  a  single  cargo  of  a  hundred  and  thirty 
tons,  in  a  brig  belonging  to  myself,  to  the  island  of  Martinique, 
excited  the  derision  of  the  whole  town  as  a  mad  project;  but 
the  ability  of  transporting  it  successfully  had  been  fully  calculated. 
The  first  cargo  arrived  in  a  perfect  condition."  From  a  financial 
standpoint  the  shipment  was  not  a  success,  but  Mr.  Tudor  had  the 
satisfaction  of  demonstrating  that  ice  could  be  carried  to  a  warm 
climate.  He  was  the  ice  king  of  the  world  up  to  the  year  1836. 
The  laurels,  however,  that  came  in  later  years  he  may  well  have 
viewed  with  indifference,  for  the  price  he  paid  for  them  was  more 
than  considerable,  a  part  of  it  being  the  repayment  of  a  debt  of 
more  than  ^280,000,  which  it  took  him  fourteen  years  to  settle.  It 
required  twenty-nine  years  to  push  his  business  into  the  East  Indies, 
and  while  he  was  successfully  doing  this  he  was  called  a  dreamer  for 
attempting  the  foolishly  impossible.  "I  proposed  it,"  he  said,  "but 
I  could  not  obtain  the  means  until  1833,"  just  twenty-nine  years 
after  he  had  built  his  first  ice-house  in  the  West  Indies. 

After  the  War  of  18 12,  the  British  Government  with  certain  favor- 
able conditions  offered  Mr.  Tudor  the  monopoly  of  trade  in  Jamaica, 
and  Mr.  Tudor  established  ice-houses  in  Kingston,  the  commercial 
capital  of  the  island.  Shortly  after  this,  the  monopoly  of  Havana  was 
secured  and  plans  were  made  to  introduce  ice  into  other  Cuban  ports, 
the  shipments  being  sent  exclusively  from  Boston.  Arrangements  to 
get  the  ice  into  domestic  ports  were  begun,  and  the  first  cargo  for 
Charleston,  South  Carolina,  was  shipped  in  1817,  ice-houses  were 
built  in  Savannah  in  1818,  and  in  1820  at  New  Orleans,  which  later 
became  the  largest  consuming  city  in  this  country  south  of  Phila- 
delphia. 

Mr.  Tudor,  at  the  request  of  the  British  and  American  merchants 
in  Calcutta,  managed  by  careful  packing  to  get  a  small  cargo  of  two 
hundred  tons  to  that  port.  The  supply  was  quickly  purchased,  and 
a  trade  was  at  once  begun  in  Massachusetts  ice,  which  paid  well  for 
thirty  years.  "Indeed,"  asserts  Winthrop  L.  Marvin,  in  the  "Amer- 
ican Merchant  Marine,"  "the  ice  ships  gave  Boston  a  long  mastery 
of  the  general  Calcutta  traffic.     The  originality  and  audacity  of  this 

35 


OLD   SHIPPING   DAYS   IN   BOSTON 

ice  export  business  were  vividly  American.  No  man  who  was  not  very- 
sure  of  himself  could  have  sent  such  a  perishable  freight  out  upon  a 
four  or  five  months'  voyage,  which  involved  crossing  the  fiery  equator, 
doubling  Da  Gama's  stormy  Cape,  and  steering  through  the  furnace 
heat  of  the  Indian  ocean."  Thus  for  many  .years  Boston  was  enabled 
to  hold  the  key  to  the  rich  and  extensive  commerce  between  Cal- 
cutta and  the  United  States. 

]\lr.  Tudor  had  lost  in  this  trade  by  the  opening  of  1835  i-he  large 
sum  of  $210,094.20,  which  he  paid  with  interest  in  fourteen  years. 
A  short  time  after  Mr.  Tudor  had  begun  to  pay  this  large  sum  he  lost 
control  of  the  Havana  market  through  the  dishonesty  of  an  agent 
whom  he  had  raised  from  unfavorable  circumstances  and  unfortu- 
nately had  trusted  implicitly. 

Mr.  Tudor's  especial  hobby  was  his  garden  at  Nahant.  Though 
his  Beacon  Street  home  was  luxurious  and  from  it  he  commanded  a 
fine  view  of  the  Common,  where  the  flag  he  loved  so  well  was  furled, 
still  it  was  at  Nahant  that  he  indulged  his  love  for  fruits  and  trees 
and  flowers.  Longfellow  mentioned  seeing  him  here  and  being  asked 
to  come  inside  his  grounds  and  see  his  wheat-field  by  the  sea.  Mr. 
Tudor  heard  that  wheat  could  not  be  grown  near  the  sea  and  with  his 
usual  determination  decided  to  make  it  grow  there  and  succeeded. 

Concerning  the  ice  business  he  said  in  his  diary  which  is  still  pre- 
served in  the,  family:  "I  began  this  trade  in  the  youthful  hopes  at- 
tendant on  the  age  of  twenty-two.  I  have  followed  it  until  I  have 
a  head  with  scarcely  a  hair  that  is  not  white."  Again  he  speaks  very 
discouragingly.  "I  found  myself,"  he  said,  "without  money  and  with- 
out friends,  and  with  only  a  cargo  of  ice  in  a  torrid  zone  to  depend  on 
for  the  supply  of  both."  Some  years  later  after  Mr.  Tudor  had  con- 
cluded a  bargain  in  Cuba  he  wrote  humourously,  "Thus  is  the  Winter 
of  my  discontent  made  glorious  Summer.  .  .  .  Drink,  Spaniard,  and 
be  cool,  that  I  who  have  suffered  so  much  in  the  cause  may  be  able  to 
go  home  and  keep  myself  warm." 

SHIPS   THAT  PLIED   BETWEEN   BOSTON  AND   FAYAL 

From  early  in  the  nineteenth  century  to  the  end  of  the  eighties, 
many  American-built  ships  plied  between  the  ports  of  Boston  and 
Fayal.  They  were  built  for  Charles  W.  Dabney,  who  was  one  of 
the  three  Dabneys  who  for  many  years  held  the  post  of  American 
consul  in  the  Azores.  The  ships  carried  a  limited  number  of  first 
class  passengers  and  a  considerably  larger  number  of  third  class, 
the  cargoes  consisting  of  oranges  and  Island  wines,  sent  often  as 
presents  to  friends  in  Boston,  and  at  certain  seasons  of  the  year,  thou- 
sands of  barrels  of  whale  oil  which  the  whale-ships  deposited  at  Fayal 
to  be  delivered  at  New  Bedford  and  other  American  ports.  Some- 
times these  Fayal  vessels  were  sent  to  Russia,  Smyrna,  France,  or 
England,  but  direct  communication  between  Fayal  and  Boston  was 
never  interrupted.  Some  of  the  best  known  ships  were  the  "Boston," 
"Swiftsure,"    "Sarah,"    "Harbinger,"    "lo,"    "Hortense,"    "Azor," 

37 


OLD   SHIPPING   DAYS   IN   BOSTON 

"Azorean,"  and  "Fredonia."  Each  of  these  vessels  had  a  character 
of  its  own,  and  all  were  looked  upon  by  the  people  of  Fayal  as  being 
almost  human.  On  one  occasion,  when  the  "Azor"  was  overdue, 
anxiety  and  grief  spread  over  the  whole  island,  and  prayers  were 
offered  for  her  safety.  This  noble  bark  was  the  most  beloved  of  all 
the  ships  that  brought  friends,  letters,  money,  and  provisions  from 
America.  During  the  Civil  War  the  "Azor"  had  many  narrow  escapes 
when  Captain  Semmes  of  the  "Alabama"  was  scouring  the  seas. 
The  Southerner  was  determined  to  send  her  to  the  bottom,  but 
never  succeeded  in  doing  so.  The  "Azor"  was  built  in  Maine  in 
1854  and  was  commanded  during  most  of  her  long  career  by  Captain 
Burke.  At  one  time  her  name  was  changed  to  "Fredonia."  In 
1866  she  saved  many  immigrants  bound  from  Liverpool  to  Boston, 
and  during  the  famine  in  the  Azores  a  few  years  before,  Mr.  Dabney 
sent  her  to  Boston  at  his  own  expense,  where  ten  thousand  bushels  of 
grain  were  procured  through  the  generosity  of  the  inhabitants  of  this 
city.  It  is  no  wonder  that  the  people  of  Fayal  had  a  great  love  for 
her.  She  was  sold  to  make  way  for  a  larger  bark,  the  "Azorean," 
and  was  wrecked  a  short  time  afterwards. 

The  "Swiftsure,"  under  Captain  Knowles,  had  a  record  for  making 
fortunate  passages. 

The  "Harbinger"  was  seized  by  the  Constitutionalists  during  the 
Portuguese  revolution  of  1829.  She  was  at  one  time  fitted  out  as  a 
whaler  and  proved  very  successful  at  this  venture.  The  Dabney 
families  were  most  helpful  in  promoting  this  industry,  and  Ralph  P. 
Dabney  once  helped  to  kill  a  whale  with  his  own  hands  within  sight 
of  the  harbour  of  Fayal.  The  "Harbinger"  was  unfortunately  sunk 
by  the  "Savannah"  which,  during  a  frightful  storm,  dragged  her 
anchor  in  the  same  port  and  ran  into  her. 

The  "lo"  was  also  built  for  Charles  W.  Dabney,  who  gave  it  this 
'short  name  as  he  was  always  fond  of  being  concise,  saying  that  "the 
most  precious  things  are  done  up  in  small  packages."  The  passen- 
gers enjoyed  their  first  voyage  in  the  "lo"  but  were  annoyed  by  the 
constant  orders  to  "Look  out  for  fresh  paint"  when  they  were  in  a 
heavy  sea.  She  was  dismasted  several  times  and  was  finally  wrecked 
in  the  harbour  under  the  eyes  of  the  whole  family,  like  the  "Har- 
binger." 

The  "Fredonia,"  which  was  named  after  the  place  in  Fayal  owned 
by  C.  W.  and  S.  W.  Dabney,  was  one  of  the  later  ships  and  was  also 
well  known. 

The  "Sarah,"  one  of  the  later  packets,  was  owned  by  E.  A.  Adams 
of  Boston  and  ran  for  some  years  among  the  islands  and  to  Boston. 

The  voyages  between  Fayal  and  Boston  were  often  very  stormy 
and  the  best  seamanship  was  required.  The  captains  were  men  of 
the  fine  old  stock,  the  best  known  being  Captains  Savage,  Burke, 
Davis,  Hale,  and  Bettencourt.  They  were  very  intelligent  and  well- 
educated  men  and  won  the  admiration  of  their  passengers. 

Fayal  was  a  popular  winter  and  summer  resort  and  many  Bostonians 
visited   the   islands  for  their   health,  enjoying  at  the   same   time   the 

39 


OLD   SHIPPING   DAYS   IN   BOSTOnI 


From  a  print  Courtesy  of  the  "  Boston  Transcript" 

BARK  "SARAH,"  ONE  OF  THE   FAYAL-BOSTON  SHIPS 

hospitality  of  the  Dabneys.  Many  well-known  Boston  people  visited 
them,  including  the  Cunninghams,  Alsops,  Olivers,  Pomeroys,  and 
Longfellows.  J.  Pierpont  Morgan  once  visited  there;  also,  Prince 
de  Joinville,  Admiral  Dewey,  the  Prince  of  Monaco,  on  one  of  his 
scientific  voyages,  and  Lafayette's  grandson.  Before  the  advent  of 
steamers  Fayal  was  a  great  shipping  port,  at  one  time  twelve  whale- 
ships  being  counted  in  the  harbour,  and  occasionally  the  flags  of  seven 
nations  were  seen  there  on  the  same  day. 

A  member  of  the  Dabney  family  was  consul  in  the  Azores  from  1806 
to  1869,  with  the  exception  of  one  year  when  Mr.  Samuel  Haight 
occupied  the  position.  The  new  consul  went  out  there,  took  up  his 
residence  with  Charles  W.  Dabney,  the  consul  up  to  that  time,  and 
lived  with  him  on  the  best  of  terms  for  one  year.  He  then  returned 
to  the  United  States  and  requested  the  President  to  reappoint  Mr. 
Dabney  as  he  believed  he  was  much  better  fitted  for  the  post.  This 
was  accordingly  done.  Mr.  Cover  was  consul  from  1869  to  1 871  and 
then  Mr.  S.  W.  Dabney  was  chosen  and  continued  to  serve  our  Govern- 
ment until  1892  when  his  family  came  to  Boston. 

An  amusing  story  is  told  concerning  the  first  steamship  that  was 
brought  to  the  islands  by  a  Mr.  Nichols  of  Boston.  As  it  started  out 
from  the  shore  the  natives  seeing  the  steam  thought  it  was  on  fire 
and  rushed  down  to  the  water  to  push  off  in  boats  in  order  to  save  the 
unfortunate  crew! 


40 


OLD   SHIPPING   DAYS   IN   BOSTON 

THE  WRECK  OF  THE  'LIVING  AGE"  IN  THE  CHINA  SEA 

The  ship  "Living  Age"  started  in  May,  1855,  from  Boston  for  a 
voyage  around  the  world.  Captain  Frederic  Hinckley  was  her  second 
mate,  and  he  is  one  of  the  few  men  in  Boston  who  from  actual  expe- 
rience can  to-day  tell  of  those  stirring  days  of  trade  with  China,  when 
at  Canton  alone  there  were  more  American  ships  than  those  of  any 
other  nationality. 

This  voyage  of  the  "Living  Age,"  which  before  its  end  was  to  cost 
some  lives,  was  from  the  beginning.  Captain  Hinckley  recalls,  unlucky. 
There  was  no  fault  in  the  building  of  the  ship.  New  England  toil 
had  been  put  into  her,  probably  in  Medford,  and  New  England  ships 
were  stanch  and  fast.  For  thirty  days  in  midwinter  the  "Living  Age" 
beat  around  Cape  Horn.  Food  was  short,  and  scurvy  had  broken  out 
among  the  sailors,  and  after  a  hundred  and  fifty-three  hard,  long  days, 
the  ship  finally  put  into  Honolulu  harbour,  where  she  delivered  her 
freight  and  went  on  to  Shanghai. 

"On  the  25th  of  December,  1855,"  says  Captain  Hinckley,  "we 
weighed  anchor  for  New  York  with  twenty-three  souls  on  board: — 
Captain  Holmes  and  his  wife,  three  mates,  and  eighteen  men  and 
boys  before  the  mast.  These  last  were  Americans  and  English,  with 
two  or  three  Swedes  and  one  Italian — an  excellent  set  of  sailors.  The 
Northeast  monsoon,  with  thick  weather,  urged  us  forward,  without 
an  opportunity  to  take  observations.  There  was  a  fair  wind  nearly 
aft,  but  the  fog  was  so  thick  that  the  only  reckoning  of  our  position 
that  we  could  obtain  was  by  throwing  the  log  every  two  hours  to  as- 
certain the  ship's  speed,  and  under  such  conditions  reckoning  by  the 
log  is  necessarily  very  rough.  We  sailed  down  between  Formosa 
Channel  and  the  Chinese  coast,  moving  very  cautiously,  and  with 
constant  watchfulness,  knowing  the  perils,  and  doing  our  best  to 
avoid  them.  We  succeeded  for  a  while  in  escaping  danger."  Day  by 
day  the  "Living  Age"  nosed  her  way  through  the  dangerous  shoals 
of  the  China  Sea.  At  four  in  the  morning  of  the  fifth  day  out  Captain 
Hinckley,  who  was  the  watch  on  deck,  realized  that  the  ship  was  near 
Pratas  Shoal.  The  course  was  changed  to  avoid  it,  but  owing  to  the 
unreliability  of  the  log  line  reckonings  the  ship  did  not  pass  the  shoal 
as  Captain  Hinckley,  who  was  keeping  a  sharp  lookout,  supposed 
she  had  done.  He  was  confident  that  open  sea  was  ahead.  He  peered 
through  the  fog,  and  saw  ahead  what  appeared  to  be  a  breaker,  al- 
though as  the  sea  was  heavy  he  was  not  sure  but  that  it  was  the  crest 
of  a  rising  wave.  A  sudden  fear  of  great  danger  swept  over  him  and 
he  rushed  forward  to  see  if  the  lookout  was  on  the  alert.  Just  as  he 
reached  the  main  hatchway  the  "Living  Age,"  sinking  in  the  hollow 
of  a  huge  wave,  struck  bottom  with  a  tremendous  crash.  Rising 
with  the  following  sea,  she  floated  and  pushed  on,  but  only  for  a  brief 
moment.  Then  she  settled  again,  crushing  her  bow  against  the 
rocks,  and  stuck  fast.  All  hands  rushed  on  deck.  Instant  destruction 
was  looked  for  every  minute,  as  the  ship  was  being  pounded  terrifically 
by  the  mighty  breakers.     The  crew  turned  to  the  boats,  but  before 

41 


OLD   SHIPPING   DAYS   IN   BOSTON 

they  could  cut  the  lashings  the  sea  tossed  them  like  egg-shells  out  of 
sight,  two  on  top  of  the  forecastle  and  one  on  the  davits  being  washed 
away. 

Thinking  that  he  would  have  to  swim  for  his  life,  Captain  Hinckley 
rushed  to  his  stateroom  to  take  off  the  heavy  underclothes  he  wore 
under  his  oilskins,  with  the  shrieks  of  the  panic-stricken  crew  rushing 
about  on  deck  ringing  in  his  ears.  He  found  Mrs.  Holmes,  the  captain's 
wife,  sitting  on  his  sea-chest,  clad  in  her  husband's  pants  and  the  mate's 
coat  and  vest. 

"Have  you  a  ditty  box.?"  she  asked  Captain  Hinckley. 

"Yes,"  said  he,  and  handed  her  his  own  box  from  a  shelf  above  his 
head. 

Mrs.  Holmes,  as  calmly  as  if  she  had  been  in  her  own  sitting-room, 
selected  from  the  box  needles  and  thread,  which  she  carefully  tucked 
away  in  the  pockets  of  her  coat.  All  the  while  the  ship  was  lurching 
fearfully  and  pounding  against  the  coral  reef. 

"You  don't  happen  to  have  an  extra  hat.?"  asked  Mrs.  Holmes. 

Captain  Hinckley  handed  her  a  Louis  Kossuth  hat,  which  had  be- 
come famous  after  Kossuth's  visit  to  this  country. 

Taking  a  pair  of  scissors,  she  coolly  and  quickly  cut  off  her  hair  close 
to  her  head,  tried  on  the  hat,  and  secured  it  under  her  chin  with  a 
tape  fastened  with  safety  pins. 

"There,  don't  I  look  like  a  boy.?"  she  asked  jokingly,  and  went  calmly 
on  deck  in  the  midst  of  the  uproar  and  confusion. 

Mrs.  Holmes'  manner  was  never  other  than  brave  throughout  the 
fearful  days  that  followed.  Where  men  who  had  followed  the  sea 
for  years  were  frightened,  she  herself  showed  no  sign  of  fear,  and  her 
example  did  much  towards  restoring  to  order  a  panic-stricken  crew. 

The  men  threw  everything  unnecessary  for  safety  overboard  to 
lighten  the  ship.  The  crew,  officers,  and  Mrs.  Holmes  gathered  in 
the  topgallant  forecastle,  and  a  bed  was  made  for  Mrs.  Holmes  by 
placing  boards  from  the  breast-hook  to  a  tar-barrel,  and  a  sail  was 
hung  over  the  break  of  the  forecastle  to  keep  off  the  spray.  The  crew 
slept  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  forecastle  from  the  captain  and  his 
wife.  For  thirty-five  days  they  lived  in  this  manner,  each  morning 
hoping  that  the  signal  of  distress  which  they  had  hoisted  would  at- 
tract passing  vessels,  and  each  night  doomed  to  disappointment.  The 
ship's  colors  had  been  washed  overboard,  but  the  union  jack  remained. 
Captain  Hinckley  cut  up  in  strips  some  red  and  white  underflannels, 
sewed  them  together  for  stripes,  and  attached  them  to  the  union  jack 
to  form  the  colors.  This  hastily  improvised  banner  they  kept  flying  all 
day,  union  down.  One  or  two  vessels  passed  within  their  range,  but 
failed  to  see  their  signals. 

"While  searching  the  hold  for  stores,"  says  Captain  Hinckley,  "a 
barrel  of  English  ale  was  found  and  divided  among  all  hands.  One 
man,  however,  managed  to  procure  more  than  his  share,  and  got  very 
drunk.  His  antics  during  the  day,  and  his  urgence  that  the  colors 
should  be  kept  flying  all  night  to  attract  the  attention  of  passing  ves- 
sels, gave  us  a  hearty  fit  of  laughter.     In  the  search  there  was  also 

42 


OLD   SHIPPING   DAYS   IN   BOSTON 

found  a  music-box  belonging  to  Mrs.  Holmes,  much  injured  by  salt 
water,  but  with  some  music  still  left  in  it.  This  we  kept  playing  con- 
stantly, for  the  music  was  superb  in  our  ears,  and  we  all  took  turns 
at  winding  it  until  its  last  mutilated  and  fragmentary  tune  had  died 
away.  In  vain  we  tinkered  with  it.  Its  last  note  had  fled,  and  we 
gave  it  a  sailor's  burial." 

It  was  about  the  twentieth  day  on  the  wreck,  that  Mr.  Baptistea, 
the  French  cook,  gave  notice.  It  had  occurred  to  Mr.  Baptistea  that, 
by  the  laws  of  the  sea,  since  he  was  wrecked  and  had  received  no  wages 
he  could  not  work.  The  officers  said  that  if  he  would  not  cook  for  > 
them  they  would  build  no  raft  for  him,  whereupon  he  set  about  build- 
ing a  raft  of  his  own.  He  soon  decided,  however,  that  he  would  resume 
the  cooking. 

A  roughly  constructed  flat-bottomed  boat  was  built,  and  Mr.  Camp- 
bell, the  chief  officer,  took  a  few  men  and  started  when  the  sea  was 
smooth  to  inspect  an  island  lying  about  ten  miles  distant.  After 
nearly  being  driven  out  to  sea  by  the  changing  wind  the  boat's  crew 
succeeded  in  landing  on  the  island,  erected  a  pole  bearing  a  distress 
signal,  and  stationed  a  lookout  near  it.  One  day  they  sighted  a  ship. 
She  approached,  hove  to,  and  lowered  a  boat,  but  to  the  astonishment 
of  the  shipwrecked  party  the  boat  after  nearing  them  turned  about  and 
returned  to  the  strange  ship,  which  then  filled  away  and  disappeared 
to  the  south.  The  men  of  the  "Living  Age"  did  not  discover  until 
they  were  rescued  later  that  the  reason  for  this  strange  action  was 
that  the  ship  had  struck  a  shoal  in  approaching  them  and  punched  a 
hole  in  her  bottom,  and  that,  fearing  lest  the  five  hundred  Chinese 
coolies  on  board  whom  she  was  carrying  to  California  would  in  terror 
at  her  leaking  condition  seize  the  ship  if  he  sent  part  of  his  crew 
away  to  rescue  the  shipwrecked  party,  the  ship's  captain  had  decided 
to  make  all  sail  for  Manila  for  repairs  and  report  the  discovery  of  the 
crew  of  the  "Living  Age." 

On  the  thirty-fifth  day  after  the  wreck,  a  Chinese  sampan  was 
sighted  by  the  part  of  the  ship's  company  which  had  remained  on  the 
"Living  Age"  and  in  it  were  Mr.  Campbell  and  his  men.  The  adven- 
tures of  the  crew  were  related,  and  on  February  6  all  hands  left  the 
"Living  Age"  and  set  sail  for  Pratas  Island  where  they  made  them- 
selves as  comfortable  as  possible. 

"At  last  at  dawn  of  February  25th,"  adds  Captain  Hinckley,  "I 
espied  on  the  horizon  a  column  of  black  smoke;  a  whaler  or  steamer 
it  seemed  to  be.  We  hoisted  all  our  signals  and  launched  a  boat  to 
intercept  her.  To  our  unspeakable  relief  the  spars  and  smokestack 
of  a  steamer  loomed  up,  and  she  shortly  after  came  to  anchor  near  the 
shore,  lowering  her  largest  boat,  the  officer  of  which  on  hearing  my 
story  directed  our  boat  to  go  aboard,  while  he  went  ashore  for  the  re- 
mainder. The  steamer  was  the  'Shanghai'  (English)  from  Manila, 
Captain  Munroe,  and  in  a  short  time  we  all  stood  without  effects  on 
a  friendly  deck."  Thence  they  proceeded  to  Hong  Kong.  For  the 
rescue  Captain  Munroe  received  from  President  Fillmore  a  gold 
chronometer. 

44 


OLD   SHIPPING   DAYS   IN   BOSTON 


From  a  print  "  Gleason's  Pictorial" 

L.\UNCHING  OF  THE   "GREAT  REPUBLIC,"  OCT.  4,   1853 

Largest  merchant  ship  at  that  time  in  the  world 


Captain  Hinckley  to-day  is  engaged  in  the  insurance  business  in 
Boston.  There  is  a  striking  reminder  of  the  old  days  of  China  trade 
in  his  Brookline  home,  and  that  is  a  picture,  on  page  43,  which 
was  reproduced  from  a  painting  done  for  Captain  Hinckley  by  Mar- 
shall Johnson,  the  marine  artist,  of  the  "Living  Age"  wrecked  on 
Pratas  Shoal  in  the  China  Sea.  Captain  Hinckley  followed  the  sea 
between  1849  and  1861,  sailing  in  the  following  ships:  "Josiah 
Quincy,"  "Horsburgh,"  "Vancouver,"  "Cygnet,"  "Living  Age,"  and 
"N.  B.  Palmer." 


TWO   CELEBRATED   LAUNX^HINGS 

The  launching  at  East  Boston  of  Donald  McKay's  famous  four- 
master,  the  "Great  Republic,"  the  largest  merchant  ship  ever  built, 
inspired  Longfellow  to  write  a  poem,  the  last  lines  of  which  are: — 

"She  starts,— she  moves, — she  seems  to  feel 
The  thrill  of  life  along  her  keel, 
And,  spurning  with  her  foot  the  ground, 
With  one  exulting,  joyous  bound, 
She  leaps  into  the  ocean's  arms!" 

45 


OLD   SHIPPING   DAYS   IN   BOSTON 


LAUNCHING  OF  THE   "FLYING   CLOUD,"  1851 


October  4,  1853,  was  a  great  day  for  Boston;  a  public  holiday  was 
declared,  schools  were  closed,  and  business  was  suspended,  as  almost 
every  Bostonian  wanted  to  witness  the  launching.  Many  thousands 
of  people  were  present,  some  coming  from  very  long  distances.  As 
the  clock  on  the  Old  North  Church  began  to  strike,  the  carpenters 
started  the  vessel,  which  slid  into  the  water  amid  the  tooting  of 
steam  whistles  from  the  ships  in  the  harbour,  and  to  the  accompani- 
ment of  salvos  from  the  men-of-war,  the  ringing  of  the  church  bells, 
and  the  cheers  of  the  onlookers.  Quite  contrary  to  the  custom  of  the 
day,  she  was  christened  with  Cochituate  water  to  satisfy  the  leaders 
of  a  temperance  crusade.  This  innovation  was  apparently  not  a 
success,  for  the  beautiful  vessel,  shortly  after  her  arrival  in  New 
York  and  just  before  sailing  on  what  her  builder  hoped  would  be  the 
record  ocean  voyage,  caught  fire  from  the  sparks  that  came  from  a 
conflagration  one  block  away.  The  topsails  first  of  all  ignited,  and 
then  the  masts,  the  sails,  and  rigging.  After  a  hurried  consultation 
it  was  decided  to  cut  the  masts  away,  and  in  a  few  minutes  the 
decks  were  a  mass  of  burning  wreckage.  It  was  thought  the  ship 
had  been  saved,  when,  to  the  horror  of  those  near  by,  some  one 
yelled  to  the  mate,  "There's  smoke  coming  up  the  main  hatch." 
A  burning  spar  had  pierced  her  three  decks  and  a  spark  had  ignited 
the  cargo.  She  was  promptly  scuttled,  but  the  flames  caused  such 
damage  that  she  was  turned  over  to  the  underwriters.  McKay's 
disappointment  was  naturally  very  great,  and  he  really  never  quite 
recovered  his  former  self,  and  though  he  later  built  a  good  many 
ships  he  retired  soon  afterwards  to  a  farm  and  died.     The  "Great 

46 


CLIPPER    SHIP  "LIGHTNING,"  A    MERCHANTMAN  OF   1854,  AND  HOLDER 
OF  THE  WORLD'S  SAILING  RECORD 

Built  by  Donald  McKay  at  East  Boston  and  owned  by  James  Baines  &  Co.  The 
"Lightning"  holds  the  world's  record  for  a  day's  run,  436  nautical  miles,  "an  average  of  over 
18  knots  an  hour.  The  cut  is  from  an  original  painting  by  Capt.  W.  B.  Whall  and  was  ob- 
tained through  the  courtesy  of  Lester  H.  Monks,  Esq. 


From  a  photograph  taken  just  after  launching  Courtesy  of  Harris  Livermore,  Esq. 

THE   "SUDBURY,"  ONE  OF   BOSTON'S   LATEST  MERCHANTMEN 

Owned  by  the  Shawmut  Steamship  Co.,  of  which  W.  H.  Randall  &  Co.  are  agents. 

One  of  the  part  owners  of  the  "Sudbury"  is  a   relative  of  James  Baines   who  owned 
the  "Lightning." 


OLD   SHIPPING   DAYS   IN   BOSTON 


^i,.,,^^^ 


OCEAN-GOING  TUG  "R.  B.  FORBES"  ASSISTING  IN  HAULING  THE  CUNARDER 
"CAMBRIA"  OFF  THE   ROCKS  AT  TRURO   BEACH,  CAPE   COD 

This  tug  was  well  known  in  Massachusetts  Bay  and  assisted  in  the  launching  of  many 
noted  ships,  such  as  the  "Great  Republic,"  "Witch  of  the  Wave,"  and  the  wonderful  ship 
"Lightning";  she  was  also  the  most  powerful  wrecking  steamer  on  the  Atlantic  coast,  and 
saved  much  property  for  her  owners,  the  Boston  Underwriters.  She  was  built  at  East  Boston 
in  1845  and  was  one  of  the  few  vessels  at  that  time  made  of  iron  and  propelled  by  a  screw. 
Her  engines  and  boilers  were  designed  by  Ericsson.  The  "R.  B.  Forbes"  was  bought  by 
the  United  States  Government  during  the  Civil  War,  but  was  wrecked  a  few  years  later  off 
Hatteras  Inlet.  She  was  built  by  and  named  after  Captain  Robert  Bennet  Forbes,  who 
originated  the  idea  of  a  large  ocean-going,  twin-screw  tug  for  salvage  purposes.  It  had  been 
generally  believed  that  such  a  boat  was  not  needed;  that  a  propeller  could  not  tow  as  well 
as  a  paddle-wheeler;  and  also  that  an  iron  vessel  would  rust  in  a  short  time.  Mr.  Thomas 
Lamb  and  Mr.  Balch  of  the  Underwriters  Board,  however,  both  believed  the  boat  would  be 
the  success  she  turned  out  to  be. 

Republic"  was  sold  to  Captain  Palmer,  who  rebuilt  her,  and 
although  under  greatly  reduced  sail  plan,  she  nevertheless  proved  to 
be  very  fast.  She  was  used  by  France  as  a  troop  ship  during  the 
Crimean  War,  and  by  our  Government  during  the  Civil  War.  She 
was  three  hundred  and  thirty-five  feet  long  and  fifty-three  feet  wide. 
There  is  a  model  of  this  celebrated  clipper  in  the  Louvre,  and  a 
card  underneath  gives  her  history,  mentioning  also  that  the  "  Clipper 
Americain"  was  the  highest  type  of  wooden  merchant  ship  under  sail. 
Another  launching  that  will  always  be  remembered  by  the  people 
of  Massachusetts  took  place  at  Salem,  when  the  "Witch  of  the  Wave" 
was  christened.  She  was  owned  by  Captain  John  Bertram  and 
Alfred  Peabody,  both  of  Salem,  and  the  vessel  was  the  pride  of  that 
port.  The  Collector  of  the  Port  proposed  the  toast  at  lunch,  "Success 
to  the  newest  and  youngest  of  the  Salem  Witches."  Two  hundred 
distinguished  guests  sailed  from  Portsmouth,  where  she  was  built, 
to  Salem,  while  the  Boston  Cadet  Band  played  patriotic  selections. 
The  tug  "R.  B.  Forbes"  was  towing.  Captain  Bertram  thought 
he  would  set  some  sail  "just  to  assist  the  tow-boat  a  little."  Then 
there  ensued  a  great  race  between  the  two  vessels,  the  "Witch  of  the 

48 


OLD   SHIPPING   DAYS   IN   BOSTON 

Wave"  setting  more  sail,  while  the  tug  put  on  steam  to  her  fullest 
capacity.  Slowly  the  sailing  ship  pulled  up  abreast  of  the  tug  while 
the  band  played  "A  Life  on  the  Ocean  Wave."  The  haw^ser  was 
not  used  much  on  this  part  of  the  trip.  One  of  the  guests  on  board 
sang, — 

'"They  say  she's  bound  to  sail  so  fast 
That  a  man  on  deck  can't  catch  the  mast! 
And  a  porpoise  trying  to  keep  ahead, 
Will  get  run  over  and  killed  stone  dead." 

And  to  wind  up  the  festivities  all  on  board  sang  the  following  lines 
from  Whittier: — 

"God  bless  her  wheresoe'er  the  breeze 
Her  snowy  wings  shall  fan, 
Beside  the  frozen  Hebrides 
Or  sultr\-  Hindostan! 

"Where'er,  in  mart  or  on  the  main, 
With  peaceful  flag  unfurled. 
She  helps  to  wind  the  silken  chain 
Of  commerce  round  the  world. 

"Her  pathway  on  the  open  main 
May  blessings  follow  free. 
And  glad  hearts  welcome  back  again 
Her  white  sails  from  the  sea!" 

The  "Witch  of  the  Wave"  was  loaded  at  Boston  by  the  Williams 
and  GUdden  Line  for  San  Francisco  under  command  of  Captain 
J.  H.  Millett. 


THE   E.\D. 


49 


DATE  DUE 

Ar^^  -7  !9S 

r 

UNIVERSITY  PRODUCTS,  INC.    #859-5503 

A.^L-. 


BOSTON  COLLEGE 


3  9031  01490097  1 


UK    23    *S/ 

State   Street    TTMjst    CoiYipan^Js' 
Boston* 

Old  shipping  i-S~a\r~.    in  Boston* 


MK  23  *S7 


(tfOl^a 


State  Street  Trust  Company? 
Boston* 

Old  shippinsS  days  in  Boston 


Boston  College 
Libraries 

Chestnut  Hill,  Mass.     02167 


